That boy with the stupid hair in that stupid emo leather jacket
by Bella S James
Summary: Everyone knows of the infamous 'I love you' scene between Rory and Jess. Only this time, the two have done it right. What if Jess didn't drive off? What if Rory stopped him? And what would that mean for their futures...? LITERATI
1. The famous 'I love you' scene

**Hey- it's a given to read, but a review would be... pleasant? desired? expected?  
****No pressure.**

* * *

The famous 'I love you' scene

"I love you," Jess breathed. Rory fell silent. Her face became pale for more reasons than the snow. She stared at him with her innocent doe-eyes; rerunning those three simple words in her mind. The boy she'd shared her love of books and music with. The boy she'd care for so much at one point, that now said no more than 'I'm leaving' and now with the 'I love you''.

Then he started to walk away. Towards his car.

He reached for his keys and started to unlock the door to that pathetic excuse of a car. Then something cold, wet and heavy hit him on the back of his head.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" He whipped his head around seeing the girl he 'loves' actually looking scary. That's what he imagined Medusa looking like – only with more heads...

"I... Uh..." He stammered. Huh. What does one say after being smacked in the head by a ball of what is essentially ice.

"'I love you'?! Seriously?!"

"Well, I would have said 'I really like you a lot', but that wouldn't have had the same affect," he said sarcastically.

Rory paused in disbelief. "Do you really think your persnicketiness is going to help you right now?"

He stared down at his shoes, ashamed of his snarky habit. Jess had never felt so uncomfortable, mostly because of the vulnerability, but also because of the fact that the snow ball was starting to melt down his neck.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Rory could feel all the anger just build up inside of her; all of the things he'd done. Running out on her – twice; keeping secrets; not being there when she needed him... "That is not how you're supposed to say that! Not 'I love you'! You're supposed to have been in communication with me for _at least_ a month and it should _not _have been after running through the streets and – and—"

"Rory, you're rambling," he stated. He loved the way she rambled in all its annoying glory.

"But I have the right to ramble! So you have to stand there in your stupid emo leather jacket and take it!"

"Ok."

"So here I am rambling!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, turning heads – or, at least, more heads than before.

Jess nodded obediently. "Ok."

"And what is with that?!" She gestured at him angrily.

He frowned. "What is with what?"

"That stupid monosyllable thing you _always_ do! You're smart; you read, and yet you act like there's nothing beneath that stupidly gelled hair of yours!"

Jess frowned. "You loved my hair."

"Well not anymore," she growled with a cutely furrowed brow, stomping her foot on the ground like an angry six year old deprived of ice cream. "And what is with all the gel you put up in that?! There's more grease in it then there is in your stupid car! It's stupid!"

Jess remained still, looking stern and cool, as always. And when Rory paused her rant, searching for more, she used it against him. "And why are you always like that?!"

"Like what?"

"THAT! Standing there; all mad and cool and collected... All you need is a denim jacket and you'd nail that Breakfast Club audition," she sneered; wide eyed and frustrated. Jess kept quiet.

"And – and – you love Hemingway! How can you say you only like the best books and like Hemingway?!"

Jess smiled.

"And also – Why are you smiling?"

He rubbed his hand over his mouth, like he were trying to erase the smile. "What? I'm not," he lied.

Rory stood up straight. "Not anymore, Einstein, but you were." Her eyes pointed narrowly at him. "Something funny to you?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Then why were you smiling?"

He smiled again. "Because I love you."

Rory went silent again.

Jess walked towards her, using the rare silence to speak. "Rory, I love you. I do; I love you. And I know you love me too – I know it."

He went silent again, proudly aware of the fact that he was a _whole _meter closer to her. Improvement. Rory went even more pale. "THERE YOU GO AGAIN!" She growled, gesturing fiercely at her. "This isn't right! This isn't perfect! There needs to be a proper time and place... ESPECIALLY TIME!" Rory concluded – rather loudly – and stormed off in the opposite direction, leaving Jess standing there like the moron in the emo leather jacket that he was. But he smiled. Because he knew; he knew that she loved him too.


	2. After the famous 'I love you'

What happened AFTER the famous 'I love you' scene

Rory entered her house and slammed the door loudly behind her. She was fuming; her hair in disarray; her clothes covered in snow; her usually innocent eyes wide with a furrowed brow.

"ARH!" She growled, now sounding annoyed.

"Rory?" Lorelai walked cautiously down the stairs. She had her sweet, consoling voice on, knowing it would be necessary any moment soon. Rory whipped her head around, staring angrily up at her mother.

"He's so – you know?!" She asked, waving a hand in the air. "And he's really – you know?!"

"Uh-huh," Lorelai nodded along. "Who's so?"

"Jess, of course!" She boomed. Such a loud voice from such a small person...

Lorelai's jaw clenched. "Ah... the quick-witted misfit..." she said, flicking the air with a finger. Rory nodded ferociously. "Yes! Him!"

An image of Jess's head on a silver platter popped up in Lorelai's mind. Her mouth even flashed a slight smirk. "What did he do now?" Lorelai sighed, reaching the bottom of the stairs and approaching Rory.

"Well, you know how I hated him saying 'I'm leaving' like that?"

Lorelai scoffed. "Such a redundant comment..."

"Yes, well I would Kill Bill for that!"

Lorelai flinched. "He didn't... do anything... right?" _Say no, say no, say no, say no... _she pleaded. Rory shook her head. "Nope! But he did tell me he loved me – and then proceeded to drive off."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and said "How cowardly..." but was quietly surprised.

Rory thrusted a finger in front of her mothers face. "BUT before he could drive off, I threw a snowball at his head," she said and Lorelai grinned.

"Proud."

"Yeah, and then I just totally yelled at him!"

Lorelai gasped. "Did he cry?" She clasped her hands together hopefully.

Rory said "no" in a disappointed matter.

"Eh, well," Lorelai shrugged sadly. "But at least you threw a snowball at him! That's good, right?" Her grin reappeared.

For the first time, Rory grinned – rather enthusiastically. "Yeah! I hit him really hard, too. And I didn't miss!"

"That's good, hun!" Rory and Lorelai stood there quietly grinning away.

Then Rory got a second wave.

"I just can't believe it..."

"Oh, honey," Lorelai said sympathetically. She reached a hand out for Rory's shoulder, but Rory batted it away and head for the kitchen. Lorelai fluttered after her.

"And why now? I mean, why not earlier?"

"I'm guessing he opened up his Idiots Guide for Dummies and found – oh, hello – attempting to be a jackass would be the right thing to do."

"'Attempting'?!"

"I mean succeeding," she stuttered with a smile. Rory glared at her skeptically and turned away to the freezer. Lorelai sat down. "I would call him Travis Bickle if Travis wasn't technically the good guy..."

"Mom!"

"What?"

"You're really not helping," she stated.

"I'm your family." She stated, looking insulted. "Of course I'm not helping."

Rory kicked the door closed, holding a bucket of cookie-dough ice cream. She slumped into the chair next to her 'witty' mother.

"But half way through I started running out of flaws of his..."

"Really?" Lorelai frowned, genuinely confused. "I thought the list was endless..."

"I reduced to bringing up Hemingway," she mumbled, flicking off the lid and pulling out the questionable spoon that was already in there. Rory stuffed a mouthful of ice cream in her mouth.

Lorelai took the spoon from her daughter and took a bite. "So if he didn't cry, then how did he take it?" she asked, her mouth full of cookie-dough ice cream.

Rory did the same. "He smiled," she said grimly.

"Really?" She looked surprised. Rory nodded and took another bite. Lorelai looked at her thoughtfully for a second; her lips pursed sternly. "Hun... I gotta ask."

"What?" Rory allowed, sounding cautious about it.

"Do you... Do you love Jess?"

Rory gasped, looking dramatically horrified. "God! No!"

"Ok, ok," Lorelai stammered, raising her hands up in a 'Don't hurt _me_' way. Rory glared at her for another second before looking down at the bucket of ice cream frustratedly.

"But..." Rory's head shot up. Staring furiously at her mother; her pal; her best friend; her number one supporter. Although extremely frightened and scared, Lorelai continued. "Are you sure?"

"You don't believe me?!" Her anger hit that stage where her eyes went all wide, like a cartoon character's would.

"No – no, I do. But you must have some strong feelings towards him."

"What are you getting at, Lorelai Gilmore?"

"I'm just saying that you have denied such feelings for him before and you never really did have an actual break-up." Lorelai looked at her daughter innocently.

Rory brought her dainty hand firmly to the table top in a definitive way. "I do NOT love Jess."

"Ok; you don't..." Lorelai bobbed her head in false agreement. There was a moment of silence. Rory's muscles relaxed a bit and she concentrated on eating her ice cream. Lorelai looked from Rory to the table, from Rory to the table.

"It's just—" Rory flashed her an intense glare. "—I'm sorry, but if you don't love him, or have _any _strong feelings for him whatsoever, then..."

"Then what?" She snapped.

"Then why are you eating ice cream; also known as wallowing food?" She raised a brow suggestively.

Rory stayed silent.

After awhile, she finally said, hardly above a whisper; "I never said I had no feelings for him."

For the rest of the night, the unnaturally loving mother and daughter sat quietly eating ice cream, just enjoying each others company.


	3. I love you despite the hose

**Running on nothing more than left over energy from exams and a cup of dodgy coffee ensures that this chapter sucks. But I made this lame and corny situation as comedic as possible.**

Chapter 3

"Pick a movie already!" Rory heard her mother shout from the hallway, paying for the everything-on-it pizza. "Thanks, Joe," she said, then entered the living room where Rory was sitting on the couch staring down at the stack of DVD's on the coffee table, next to the bag of marshmallows and red vines.

"Well, it's hard. We could do a Die Hard marathon again."

"No," she protested. "We did that recently."

"We haven't done it since 2002."

"Still – I feel like I've done it recently."

"Hm." Rory looked over the stack again. "How about we watch The Exorcist?" Rory suggested, looking up hopefully at her mother.

"...On a dare?"

"Never mind." She looked back down. Lorelai dropped the pizza carelessly on the table, letting some m&m's go astray.

Lorelai picked up the first DVD in sight and gasped excitedly. "The Pursuit of Happiness,"

"And Misery!" Rory grinned with a pointed finger.

Lorelai smiled down proudly at her creation, said "The perfect movie combination." and sat down next to her. Rory stared at her. "...So I guess I'll put it in."

"Yale educated," she said, gesturing. Rory sighed, but being the good little girl that she was, went to put it in. She sat back down.

"I'll tell ya," Lorelai started as the warning sign showed up. "We are _this close_ to being Nick and Nora."

"More like Sid and Nancy," Rory muttered. Her mother scoffed, but the introduction of the movie cut her off before she could say some sort of snide and quippy retort. The idea of the two of them in fancy dresses sipping martini's also involved unicorns and aliens flying in the background. Seems legit.

They were two bags of marshmallows, one bag of red vines, a whole pizza and fifteen minutes through the first movie when there was a knock on the door.

"Rory..."

"Hm?"

"You're closer."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, but I ate more."

"So?"

"So I'm more exhausted. And I am thoroughly enjoying this movie more than you are, so if one of us were to lose the flow of the movie then it should be the one whose enjoying it least to lose said flow – plus I'm older and more mature and—"

"Fine, I'll get the door. Geez..."

The not-so welcome, ex-Boo Radley of Stars Hallow stood in front of her, staring at her with one of his rare warm smiles.

"Hello, Rory."

Rory froze. For a second. Then her previously recognised anger kicked in. "Mom, I'll be right back," she called over her shoulder, knowing that Lorelai would b extremely curious but resistant. Rory shoved Jess forward and closed the door behind her. He wasn't wearing his leather jacket this time. Rory guessed he made a mental note. Instead he wore a feeble jean jacket like it was still 1985.

Rory gripped his collar and dragged him hostilely down the stairs of the porch and dragged him to the side of the house, opposite Babette's place. Rory let go, faced him and crossed her arms stubbornly. "What are you doing here?" she sneered.

"I wanted to see you."

"Thank you for stating the obvious, _again_, Sherlock."

"Again?" He asked, looking confused, but still smiling – as though the result of showing up would be good.

Rory glared at him expectantly. "Whenever we were in the same place, you would get up and say 'I'm leaving', before leaving." She looked him up and down with a scowling pout. "Completely stating the obvious..."

Jess smiled at her.

"What are you doing here?"

"I already told you."

"Care to elaborate on that?"

"I came here to explain." A beat. "To explain myself."

Rory stared down at the ground, hugging herself tighter from the cold winter chill, becoming very aware of the fact that she was only in her feeble yale sweats.

"Uh... I – The reason I planned on dropping the bomb and running—"

"You mean driving."

"Right." He stammered. "I did that because I was afraid of what you were gonna say." He smirked. "I didn't think it would earn me a snowball to the head." By the frustrated expression on Rory's face, Jess's smirk faltered and he had to ignore the major feeling of vulnerability.

"Nice anecdote. Does Dorothy Parker know about you?" She sniped.

"I was gonna leave town and plan to never come back, but then you got mad. And I remembered why I love you."

Rory could feel herself start to blush, making her annoyed with herself. And then even more annoyed with Jess when she realised it was because of him.

"And I think you love me too. I'm gonna stay this time, unless you go. Because Kirk isn't worth it." He pointed a finger. "And I don't know if you've realised, but this is the only time I've ever talked this much without yelling or arguing or anything." A beat. "And this is also the first time you've gone this long without talking – or at least not injuring me."

Then, Rory noticed something. A hose. It was just there; attached to the side of the house innocently. And conveniently.

"Rory?"

Without much thought, she picked it up.

"Rory..."

She pointed it at him.

Jess slowly pointed a finger in her direction. "Don't do it, Rory..."

She turned it on.

It sprayed at him; the ice cold water hitting him forcefully, drenching him coldly from head to toe. Jess turned away, his hands attempting to cover his face – a pathetic and pointless attempt. "RORY!"

She grinned evilly.

"Rory, c'mon!" She heard him sputter. He tried moving, but she followed him with the hose. He turned his body fully and glared at her. "This is ridiculous," he muttered, then walked towards her, embracing the water. Jess came close enough to try and pull the hose out of her hands, now realising that she learned how to gain strength _along_ with learning how to 'run like that'.

"No!" Rory protested, battling for the hose.

"Let go of the hose, Rory," he said firmly, the spray of water rebounding off him onto her.

"No!"

"I'm serious; let go of the hose!"

"Well if you're serious, then I'll do it!" She snapped sarcastically.

Jess looked at her, completely bewildered. "Rory," he said clearly.

"I am not letting go. No. I am NEVER letting go of this hose until you're drowning in this stupid water... OR of frostbite. Because that would be painful!"

"Well, you always told me my death would be bloody and painful, so I guess that's appropriate," he retorted, like his usual self. Jess finally yanked the hose out of her dainty little hands. He threw it over her shoulder and turned it off at the source.

Rory glared at him while he looked at her innocently and hopefully. Bordering on sincere. He breathed heavily.

Rory sighed. "Okay. I'm done." She ran her fingers through her vaguely damp hair.

Jess mimicked her sigh. "Is that good or bad?"

She stared down at her slippers. "I need time to think."

"To think."

"Yes," she muttered. "I need to think."

"You need to think."

"Yes," she said, having lost all energy to say any sort of parrot on a pirate quip.

"Ok." Jess said. "You're going to make a pro/con list," he stated, looking straight ahead at the the garage behind her.

"I will."

"Ok." He wanted to kiss her goodbye, but all the bad scenarios ran through his mind, making him consider otherwise. He turned around, soaking wet and cold, and walked away.

"You know, that would have been a really bad parting line," she called after him.

He swiveled around. "What?"

"I ran hundreds of good parting words between us. Them being about my pro/con list was not one of them."

Jess frowned at the memory of the words she said before he said he loved her. "Oh."

Rory looked away. "...I don't know why I brought that up."

"I can think of a few reasons," he said, resisting the urge to wring out his clothes.

Her head snapped it. "It wasn't so I could keep talking to you... If that's what you were thinking."

"I wasn't." He was.

"Good. Because it wasn't."

"So you've said."

"So I have."

"Good."  
"Good."

There was a pause in which Jess took to officially leave the Gilmore property. He wanted to seem all cool and collected as he left, but the sound of his shoes squashing in the snowy mud dampened the effect.


	4. I love you too, Luke

Chapter 4

Luke was standing behind the counter, fiddling with the out-dated cash register because the place was closed and there wasn't much left to do, when his nephew came in. He just knew it was him; just another reminder of how he failed. Of course, he didn't apologise – but there was an unspoken forgiveness; certainly suiting the two most monosyllable men in the world. He looked up and frowned.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Jess shrugged the tiniest of shrugs. "Nothin'."

"Nothin'?"

"Do I need to spell it out for you?" Jess wiped dripping water away from his mouth.

"Nope," Luke said, attempting to withhold a grin. He turned back to the ancient machine but he was still fully aware of Jess standing there; dripping on the floor. He glanced up, but didn't push him. _Just wait, _he thought, _he'll ask for help if he needs it... He'll need it. _

"Luke?"

A grunt.

"Can I...?" _Can I stay here, please? _He wanted to ask. But being the cool guy, he chickened out. "...Never mind."

Luke tossed a cloth at his head. Jess looked down at it in his hands. "You are aware that I'm not three inches tall, right?"

"Wipe your face; you're a damn mess." Jess stared at him, waiting, posing. "There are towels upstairs along with a decent shower. You should be familiar with it; you practically tried to mat the tub with your hair."

Jess's lips twitched into a smile. He threw the pointless cloth on the counter, ignoring his uncle's words, and walked up a step, leaving a track of muddy footprints behind him.

"You can stay tonight, if you want."

Jess extended his neck, looking back at Luke. "You sure?"

"Do what you wanna do," he grunted, turning to the coffee maker for god knows what reason.

Jess bobbed his head. "Ok."

A beat.

"Thank you, Luke... For the towel..." He didn't mean for the towel. Luke knew that, and Jess was too embarrassed to admit it.

"No problem, kid."

Jess's lips quivered into a smile then he headed upstairs.


	5. I love your temporary moxy

Chapter 5

Jess went downstairs into the diner, attaching his watch. Luke was busy with Kirk; holding a bill in front of his face with a glaring anger towards the weird and annoying man. Jess looked around the swamped place; people everywhere and no help. Jess picked up a coffee pot and started hitting every table, all the towns people glaring at him... Everything was the same. It was like he had never left and it wasn't hard for Jess to get back into the rhythm of things.

"I just think that shouldn't have to pay for the entire coffee if I didn't drink all of it."

"Shut up, Kirk," Luke said, turning to look at his nephew. Jess noticed.

"What?" He sighed, stopping in his tracks.

"You're working here now?"

Jess sneered. "I thought that was clear."

"From what indication?" Luke raised a brow.

Jess rolled his eyes, turning back to the customers empty cups. "Whatever."

Luke sighed heavily. "Some thing never change," he muttered to himself, then turned back to Kirk.

"How can we even be having this discussion?" Rory asked.

"I'm just sayin'," Lorelai said. The Gilmore girls were walking down the street, past the market and the Chat Club, towards Luke's.

"Just saying would imply that you haven't ruined an entire lifetime of perfection."

"Chinese Democracy was, yes, awful, to go so far as to say that it's as bad as Bjork?!" Lorelai protested. Ah, the idiotic debate of two completely different music genres as to which is worse...

"Bjork is stupendous!"

Lorelai scowled at her daughter. "No. You cannot bring big words like 'stupendous' into an argument."

"Yes you can!"

"No, you can't!"

"Can."

"Can't."

A beat. Rory stopped in her tracks, unnoticed to Lorelai. She turned around, looking at her pale-faced daughter. "What?" She pointed through the window of their destination. Luke's. Lorelai followed her finger; Jess was there, serving the people of Stars Hallow. Suddenly it felt like she went back a year. It was like nothing had changed.

Lorelai's focus on Jess was lost at the visual of the coffee machine behind him; opera music playing in her head and everyone and everything else just became blurry shapes to her.

A long silent pause— "Ok, let's go in," Lorelai said.

"I can't."

"Because of Jess?" Lorelai shook her head, mentally glaring at him. "He's even taken coffee away from us."

Rory stomped her foot, a pleading look plastered on her face. "No! He's not taking coffee away from me!" She protested, then stormed up to the door.

_That's my girl, _Lorelai thought proudly. Rory grabbed ahold of the handle, then let go, storming back down the path, then stopped again. Lorelai raised her brow. "Hun?"

Rory ignored her, hugging herself from the cold. "No..." She said to herself. "Coffee is needed..." Rory turned back and went as far as the door.

Then came back.

Lorelai's head dropped and groaned. "Okay, hun," Lorelai started, gripping onto Rory's shoulders getting her attention. "You need to do this. For the sake of the coffee. Without it; we die."

Rory rolled her eyes. "That's a little dramatic..."

Lorelai shook her a bit, staring her intensely in the eye. "No. We. Need. Coffee. I believe you can do this."

"You're right," Rory pouted, "Thanks, mom!" She said, removing herself from Lorelai's grasp and marched up the few step, and whipped open the door, standing proud – in the moment. Almost everyone turned her way to see Rory standing with hands curled into fists her legs apart in a dramatic way and a smug look on her face, and when that happened; when everyone stared at the deranged girl, she realised how ridiculous she must've looked. Rory let go of the door, clinging onto one arm with the other and bringing her feet together in an awkward way. She was blushing like crazy. "Um..." she muttered, then slumped into the table closest to her. She felt Jess staring at her, probably smirking, trying to hide a laugh. She glanced behind her, trying to see him. But her mother was there instead.

"Well I liked that little entrance," Lorelai said sympathetically, rubbing her shoulder, but was still hiding a snort. Rory sunk further into her chair and hid her face with her hand as much as possible.


	6. I love you awkwardly

Chapter 6

Jess looked over at the girl of his dreams with an uncontrollable grin at her cuteness. An impatient customer looked up at him snottily. "_Excuse me_. Are you going to pour some more coffee anytime soon?" Jess looked down at him with a stern, cold look instead of a smile.

"No."

He looked over at the table Rory was at; the one to the right of the door, where she sat, red-cheeked with her mother smiling, but looking sympathetic. Bravely, Jess walked over to her. And Lorelai.

Rory looked up at him with the tiniest of smiles, whereas Lorelai glared up at him.

"Hi," he said to Rory.

"Hi."

"Hi," he said to Lorelai.

"Hi..."

Luke walked over,worried Lorelai would kill his nephew. Jess looked at him.

"Hi."

"Hi."

Lorelai's head dropped into her arms. _No, no, no... not again. _Luke held his breath, leaving the table. Jess, however, stayed, clenching and unclenching his hands staring blankly at Rory.

"Okay, so... coffee?" He finally offered.

"No—" Jess frowned. "—I mean, yes. Yes," Rory stammered, smiling awkwardly. Lorelai stared at her daughter, not even attempting to hide the look of judgement. "Please," Rory continued, raising her cup unnecessarily. Jess tried to hide how shaky his hands were when he poured her some coffee.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He looked at her longer than a usual person would, then walked away in the weirdest, most jerky way possible.

Rory, looking freaked, glanced over at her mother, who was staring at her like she just told her she liked N'sync. Rory was oblivious as to why. "That's just so unfair."

"What is?"

"How I was Calamity Jane while he was friggin' James Dean!" She complained, looking more flustered than before.

Lorelai leaned away, scowling. "You're kidding, right?"

"No!"

Her jaw dropped. "He was the most awkward person I have ever seen, and I know Kirk! And you were... yeah, you were Calamity Jane, but at least you were equal."

Rory groaned, dropping her arm on the table frustratedly. "I don't like this."

"Try being me," she scoffed. "You may have to live 'Jess and Rory; later years', but I still have to _see it._ My eyes... they burn!"

"Oh, come on," Rory frowned.

Lorelai turned innocent. "What, I'm agreeing with you."

Rory gave her the doe-eyed persuader look and turned to her coffee. "...Things will get better, right?"

'Right."

"And—and less awkward... Right?"

"Sure."

Rory frowned. "You don't sound too convinced."

Lorelai's eyes went wider than normal. "That's it. I am never agreeing with anything you say ever again."

"Hm," Rory grumbled, turning to her coffee. Rory looked up at her mother, who had also turned to her coffee, and frowned. "Does it taste different to you?"

"Yes, it does..." Lorelai looked up at the ceiling dramatically, glossy eyed. "Like change..."

Rory glared at her mother and the odd pair went silent.

But every other second, Rory would sneak a peak at Jess, concentrating on every move he did and looked back down unsubtly whenever he snuck a glance at her.


	7. I love you I don't love Taylor

Chapter 7

_Pro: Will be able to talk about literature with someone else. _

_Con: Won't be able to concentrate on said literature._

_Pro: Will not get judged for eating large quantities of food._

_Con: Will get judged for the quality of said food._

_Pro: Likes Jane Austin. _

_Con: Likes Hemingway._

_Pro: He loves me._

_Con: ..._

Rory tapped rhythmically on the sheet of paper, biting her lip and frowning. The only glow came from the lamp's light on her desk. Everything else was dark, everything outside. That's what happens at three in the morning. The entire world is asleep... except for some dodgy Mexicans (joke... just a joke... I love Mexicans!).

She looked over the words, having almost reached the end of the page, and then turned the page over to see the other side completely covered. So many factors! Rory turned it back over, staring down at the last words she wrote down. _He loves me._ What does one do when in love? Ignore all the con's? What does one do when a Gilmore? Take in every piece of information, re-read it until you're out of coffee, while wearing heels. Only now she was wearing fluffy bunny slippers Lorelai had bought on a sugar high.

Rory looked at her surroundings. At the inviting bed, but didn't feel the least bit tired. She was riveted. She yanked the lid of her pen off with her teeth and put it to paper.

_Pro: Really pretty._

_Con: I now have to hate his hair._

Rory smiled widely at the fond memories of running her fingers through his crazy hair and then excusing herself so she could secretly wash the gel off her hands. She scrunched up her nose at that particular part of the routine. She stared down at the paper, already having listed the serious things like his job and his habits and his tendency to leave. But followed with a pro to balance it out.

_Pro: Doesn't care what people think... meaning Babette and Miss Patty. _

_Con: Won't stop people from thinking. And talking. And glaring. _

Rory paused. Put down her pen. Thought. And picked it back up.

_Pro: Luke approves. _

_Con: Mom really, really doesn't._

_Pro: Grandma will at least pretend to._

_Con: Grandpa won't. _

_Pro: Lane will understand._

_Con: Dean exists._

_Pro: Paris seemed to find him interesting enough to like him._

_Con: Taylor. _

Rory stiffened. Taylor! What would Taylor say? No... what would he do? Pull out the tar and the feathers, probably. Split up the town? Have Jess arrested? No... Oh, no.

Rory bolted up. She left the room, heading towards her mom's room, then stopped. Then sprinted upstairs.

She shoved open the door and jumped on her mom's bed. "Mom!"

Lorelai didn't make a sound properly quotable, but made a sound, nonetheless.

"Wake up."

Lorelai stuck her hand out. "Rory? What's wrong?"

"No! Taylor's gonna get Jess killed."

"What?" Lorelai mumbled into her pillow. Rory shook at her shoulder's gently, then started annoyingly tapping a similar rhythmic pattern to her pen tapping. "I forgot about Taylor. The town! What will they do to him?"

Lorelai turned her body over and squinted at her. "Rory... once upon a time I said I would die for you... that I would take a bullet for you..." She smiled sincerely. "But I would do oh so much more for sleep!" She rolled back over.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Mom."

"Please go to sleep. You're a college student... shouldn't you understand?"

She shrugged. "I actually surpassed that phase of college in the first week..." Lorelai groaned. "Mom, come on; wake up. This is important." A beat. "Jess's life is in danger!"

"Good."

_Oops, that was dumb, _Lorelai thought regretfully as she could practically feel Rory glaring at her. "I'm sorry honey, but..." Rory raised a warning brow which Lorelai could tell she was doing. "...But you can't hold anything I say against me – it's late and I'm still sleeping."

"No, you're not; you're awake, now."

"Am not. You're hallucinating."

"Mom!"  
"At this moment, I am not your mom, but someone who occasionally gives you food."

"You're not making any sense."

"That's because it's in the middle of the night!" Lorelai whined into her pillow.

Rory waved her hand in the air. "Oh, that's just a technicality," she dismissed.

"You're cruel."

She shrugged. "As is everyone at some point."

"Rory!" She groaned.

"Come on, Sleeping Beauty. Time to get up."

"You're delusional, Syd Barrett."

"And you're pathetic, Zsa Zsa Gabor."

"Rory, please let me sleep. It's what makes me the beauty I am everyday. The beauty that I thought created you... Now, I'm not so sure."

"Mom."

"Bed. Now." Lorelai thrusted a finger in the direction of the door.

Rory scowled looking extremely cute and left her room reluctantly. She sat back down at her desk and stared at her pro/con list.

"Bleh," she sounded and turned off the light, crashing into her pillow.


	8. I can't say I love your mother

Chapter 8

"Hel-lo," Lorelai said, prolonging the word tiredly and morbidly to Luke, closing the diner's door behind her.

"What's wrong with you?" Luke began pouring her coffee.

Lorelai grunted dramatically, falling into the chair of the table closest to her. "Gilbert Gottfried visited me last night, " she groaned, not taking offence like she normally would.

Luke nodded, not understanding and knowing better then to ask. "Coffee?"

"With a side of pancake flavoured coffee and fries dipped in coffee beans, please."

Luke grimaced at the thought and brought her a mug. "Thank you!" She exclaimed gratefully and brought it to her lips. She inhaled a massive gulp of it and gagged. "Eah-uh!" A look of grossed out disgust on her face. Luke raised a brow, looking back at her.

"Luke!" She gasped. "What is this stuff?"

He frowned. "What's wrong with it?" Luke sniffed it, of course not even considering drinking from the cup of what he considered death, and shrugged. "Smells the same."

She scoffed, mouth open. "Well, I can assure you: it's not!" A beat. "Is this what decaf tastes like?" She whispered, mortified.

"It's not decaf. Jess must've made a bad batch."

Lorelai stiffened. "Jess. Made. My. Coffee."

"Yep," he said shortly and calmly before going back behind the counter, leaving her to stir in her disapproving thoughts.

Kirk turned his body around, facing her. "It tastes fine to me."

Lorelai stared at him.

He continued. "I believe you dislike it because Jess made it."

"Fine, Kirk," she said, raising a hand to stop him. He didn't.

"Perhaps it's because you hate him."

"I got it, Kirk."

"After all, he is dating your daughter."

"Kirk—"

"But I guess you'll get used to it... Although the town won't... Taylor will have a fit," Kirk said in his usually unusual way.

"Kirk." She snapped. "I get the picture," she said with a forced smile. He shrugged and turned back around. Lorelai glared down at her coffee, poking the cup with her finger, like it were an alien—which it was to her. Only five minutes later, Jess brought over a serving of pancakes. "Here," he muttered, sliding the food over to the glaring Lorelai. He looked at her with a false and sarcastic smile. "Can I get you anything else?" He pressed his hands against the chair opposite her.

She pointed at the pancakes. "Did you make these?"

"Nope." He paused. "Anything else?"

She remained silent, staring at him fiercely. He bobbed his head and turned to walk away, thankful. Lorelai refrained for a second, but chose otherwise. "Jess," she said somewhat calmly, nodding towards the chair. "Take a seat."

He twisted his neck staring curiously at her, then, cautiously sat down. He began to do that clenching and unclenching thing with his hands underneath the table nervously. "Yes?"

Lorelai leaned forward, her intensely blue eyes narrowing. "There are going to be some ground rules if you are to date my daughter."

Accepting the statement immediately, he nodded, not expecting more than a 'leave before I kill you'.

"Ok," he said.

The words _Danger, Will Robinson, danger! _Were ringing in his ears along with _Get out while you still can!_

"Rule number one," Lorelai began, her voice sharper than normal. "You will be allowed to enter my house when Rory says it's ok and you will only be allowed to enter her room and the kitchen. You will not be allowed in my house after 9:30. Is that clear?"

"Yes," he said blankly, thankful for her allowance to let him within a five mile radius of Rory. She continued. "Rule two: If you are to spend time with Rory, it cannot be when I am; you are not allowed to persuade her to alter her plans with me for you under any circumstances short of coffee."

"Meaning?"

"Luke's diner is the only exception seeing you work here and his coffee is what keeps me alive," she said with full seriousness.

"Ok."

"Don't speak when I'm speaking," she said. "Rule three: You will need to get your act together."

He waited a beat before speaking. "In which way?"

Lorelai glared at him. "You need to get your own apartment, get a better job and you can't break any rules, unless given by Taylor."

"Ok."

"You cannot be at the wheel when driving together. Rory will be driving at all times, preferably with her car; it's more safe."

"Ok."

"And," she said, her tone scarier than before. "If you hurt my Rory I will hurt you severely and I will not stop until you are gone with the promise of never coming back."

"I'm not going to hurt her again."

Lorelai raised a brow. "I find that hard to believe."

Jess leaned forward, mimicking Lorelai's intense pose with folded arms. "I will _never _hurt Rory again." She scoffed, but he wasn't phased. "I have changed, Lorelai, and you don't have to believe it for it to be true." He nodded solemnly, and said "You've made it clear that you hate me and I know there's nothing I can do to change that."

She nodded. "This is true."

"But that doesn't mean I'm not going to try," he said with a smirk. Lorelai raised a brow, surprised and not necessarily in a bad way.

She leaned closer, narrowing her eyes more, an effective shadow being cast upon her face in a tim Burton kind of way. "I have one more rule."

"Yes?" He asked. _Geez, she's gonna request an impalement or a ridiculous oath or something..._

"You can never make coffee ever again."

Resisting a smile, he nodded. Things were coming so easy for him...


	9. I love you through a pillow

**Write a review you lazy fucks! (...Thanks for reading, by the way.)**

**No pressure. **

Chapter 9

Rory spent the next three days avoiding the diner and hardly ever left her house. She went back to her dorm once to catch up on homework and such, but retreated back home where she felt safe and alone. She frowned down at her pro/con list, now the total of three pages; front and back with more factors to come. Some were slightly ridiculous:

_Con: I still owe him an egg roll._

Others were extremely specific:

_Con: Dean could see him and Jess could get angry and proud and could get into another fist fight and then Dean might lose Lindsay. _

There was the rare one which Rory had written in the middle of the night that didn't make sense:

_Pro: Will have bangalore with fries._

But it was coming to the point where everything was listed. She knew it and yet she still procrastinated making her decision with the search for factors. Rory, sitting on her bed, leaned back and kicked her papers towards the foot of the bed and threw her pen to the floor. She crossed her arms stubbornly and looked around the room; searching.

"There must be more..." She muttered. She scanned her bedroom for ideas, landing on her bookshelf; _Howl and other poems_ was slightly more obvious than every other book. It was the same old and vandalized copy she'd held onto since she first bought it from Andrew's store when she was nine.

_'You've read this before.'_

_'About forty times.'_

Rory scoffed. "Well, guess what? I've read it fifty times!" She sneered at the book.

'_Goodnight, Dodger.'_

_''Dodger'?' _

_'Figure it out.'_

_'Oliver Twist.' _

Rory pulled a pillow to her face and groaned into it loudly. She whipped it down to her lap and looked back at the book sadly. "That was the moment, you know," she told it. "That was when I started to like you." She pulled the pillow back to her face. "That was the moment I began to fall in love with you!" Came her muffled voice through the fluffiness.

"Really?"

Rory froze. Her fingers curled around the pillow, silently refusing to lower it from her – probably extremely pale – face.

"...No..." she said, still with the pillow plastered to her beautiful face – one that shouldn't be covered. She could practically _hear _him smirking.

"Rory?" Jess's beautiful and familiar voice rang in her ears like a perfect symphony. Or a really great Metallica song.

Rory sat up straight and folded her legs as though to be more dignified, still with her face covered. "What are you doing here?"

"The door was open."

_I knew I forgot something, _Rory thought to herself. "That didn't answer my question, though."

She heard him take a step closer to the bed. He scratched at his ear uncomfortably. "Huh. Lorelai said to meet her here."

"Why?"

"I had to show her... something," he muttered, tracing his hand over his back pocket where a full note book was stuffed into. He looked at her sternly. _Don't ask what, don't ask what._

"What?"

"Nothin'."

"Well my mom's not here."

"Huh. Guess she forgot," he said causally while running all the reasons why she had done this through his mind.

Not that he could tell, Rory sneered. "She has a staff meeting she's had planned for weeks."

Jess narrowed his eyes. "I'm not making this up," he said defensively.

"I didn't think you were." She did think he was.

"Uh..." Jess frowned at her, tilting his head a bit. "You gonna remove that pillow?"

"No," she said stubbornly, hugging it with her arms. Jess nodded along, keeping his face stern. "Ok." A deafening silence filled the room. "Rory, please remove the pillow so then at least you can see how uncomfortable I am."

"You're not alone in that," Rory said. Jess smiled. "But I'm not removing the pillow."

"Ok."

Jess's brow stitched together and through the silence all he could think was how extremely awkward things were. Rory broke the silence. "What did you want to show my mom?" She asked again.

"Nothin'," he repeated in the same defensive tone. There was yet another pause. "Tell you what;" Jess said, "I'll show you what it is if you remove the pillow from the face."

"No."

"Then... how are you going to see?"

"Oh, nice one, Sherlock," she sneered. Jess grinned to himself.

"Ouch," he said playfully, his grin becoming a beautifully wry smile. "Come on, Rory," he said and walked closer to her. She held on tighter to the pillow. "Rory..." He said, almost as a warning.

"Jess..."

"Rory."

"Jess."

"Rory!"

"JESS!"

Jess gritted his teeth, his hands on his hips and breathing – more like growling – heavily. He felt like Luke. Which is why he dropped his hands down to his sides and molded his expression to look like he sucked on a lemon.

Rory sighed. She finally removed the pillow revealing dark shadows being cast under her intense blue eyes and a few ink blotches on her cheeks and forehead. Jess found it rather cute that she had managed to get a smudge between her eyes. But generally, she looked dreadful; like she hadn't slept in days.

He thought he was smiling – he wanted to smile. But natural instincts made him not. Rory pouted unintentionally. She said, lifting her chin, "Go ahead; make fun. The way I look pretty much requires it."

He looked at her blankly, shrugging. "I wasn't going to."

She sneered. "Please! I look like Edward Scissorhands!"

He covered his mouth, stifling a laugh. Rory's eyes narrowed on him.

He shook his head, fighting all his urges to chuckle. "No, no, nothing's funny." A beat made Rory relax. "...I thought your band was very good when you were alive, Sid Vicious."

Rory glared at him. And Jess returned with a smirk. He knew she'd like it. And if she didn't, then it meant she didn't like him. But he knew she did. Hence the obnoxious smirk. Rory slapped him.


	10. I love you a lot but OW

**Yeah, so sorry about the wait. I know how much you love me and my work (sarcasm). But then it just came to me! So now my writer's block has ended. **

**Let the story writing... Begin! **

**...Or continue, I guess (just sounded better as a cliche)...  
**

Chapter 10

So yeah, Rory slapped the dear boy... Although not so dear a boy. His head involuntarily cocked to the side and the red hot burn feeling started to kick in.

Rory's jaw dropped, eyes wide. She covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh, my God – oh, my god! I'm – I'm so sorry! I – I don't know what came over me!" She stuttered, completely bewildered by what she had just done. She'd never really slapped someone before. Wow... First a brutal snowball to the head and now _this?! _She thought.

Jess slowly turned his head back to face her, his eyes wide and his brow furrowed. He rubbed the cheek that now had her hand print on her face.

There was a long, intense silence happening between them.

...And then she started laughing. She couldn't help it. Couldn't control it!

"Are – are you laughing?"

Rory giggled incessantly. "I know, it's just – God, I'm sorry," she managed to blurt out before going into another hysterical fit.

Jess just stared at her. He didn't know what to feel. He just looked at her as though she were crazy; he even leaned away from her. Something must be seriously wrong with her, he thought. "I mean, first the snowball to the head, and now this," he accidentally thought out loud.

Rory stopped laughing for a second, an astonished look upon her delicate face. "That's exactly what I was thinking!" She pointed at him in a 'wow, this is freaky!' kind of way. Jess's shoulders relaxed, thinking he had her calm again.

False assumption.

Rory continued to giggle away as he waited there glaring at her as tears started to roll down her face. "Well, come on," she laughed.

He raised a brow.

"You have to admit it's a little funny."

He nodded along, "Really?" He said, the glare still remaining on his face.

She smiled, looking sympathetic, and said, "I'm sorry," her eyes looking all innocent again. "I know it's not funny."

"Ah, so it must have been my Buddy Holly impersonation that made you pull a Danny Glover."

"Danny Glover?"

He shrugged. "He had epilepsy."

"Yes, but it's a weird reference to go for... How'd you even know that?" She asked, regretting it because of the way his lips tightened into a thin line and also his lack of blinking. She gave him a half-hearted smile.

Jess didn't respond. He finally blinked and looked at her. "I love you."

Rory stared down at her lap, twisting the bracelet around her wrist. "I know you do..." She said below a whisper. He sighed quietly feeling the pang in his heart when she didn't repeat the same three words back. "_Why can't you just love me?" _Jess whispered even quieter, feeling his eyes begin to water.

"You know why," Rory said. Oh. So she had heard him. Oops.

"What can I do?" He asked her louder than before. "What can I do to make it better?"

Rory shrugged, looking up at him. "You can stay. – Here. In Stars Hollow and show me that you've changed."

"You know I've changed. I'm still here, aren't I?"

"Only because I threw a snowball at your head."

"Yeah, thanks, by the way," he said sarcastically.

"No, but..." she started, leaping up from the bed and walking around. "Just think about it... What if I hadn't?" She tucked her short hair nervously behind her ears.

"Then—"

"Then you probably wouldn't be here," she interrupted. "And you'd probably end up going somewhere really random or lame like Philly and _probably _end up working at some old bookstore with a really weird name like... _The Truncheon, _or something..."

Jess raised a brow. "Really? Philadelphia? I think Hillary Clinton becoming president is more likely."

Rory crossed her arms, "Hypothetically!"

"Yeah whatever – it's still dumb."

Rory rolled her eyes and clenched her jaw. There was another pause. She furiously flexed out her hand. "Again! With the pauses!"

"That's a conjoined thing, Rory..."

"Yeah, well... Yeah..."

Once again – a pause. Jess looked down at the foot of the bed, then frowned.

"What?" Rory asked innocently, staring at him.

He glanced up at her, then stared back down. He picked up a small pile of papers. "What's this?"

It was like all the happiness drained out of Rory in that one moment. She actually questioned whether she had control over her body because she couldn't seem to move... Thankfully, her intelligence and adorableness finally kicked in and she lunged at the papers in his hand. "Nothing!" She fell to the bed, doing a ninja roll over said bed and landing back on her feet awkwardly. Jess frowned at her, more curious than before.

"Yeah, usually I go full-on Karate Kid for 'nothing'," he replied with a smirk.

She looked flustered. "Really – it's nothing. Just stuff."

"School stuff?"

"Yeah."

"Huh."

Rory frowned. "You actually believe me?"

"No," he smirked again. "But I knew that if I said nothing you would accidentally come clean—" Rory thought about it. "—Which you just did."

Rory hugged her papers closely to her chest and gave him her best 'angry face'. "It's my... pro/con list."

Jess smiled shyly. "I kinda figured." He tapped on the bed post. "It's late. I should go."

"Ok," Rory breathed. Jess raised his hand like it were a pitiful wave and walked out of her room.

She let out a breath she didn't know was being held in. Rory stared down at the ground and muttered to herself, "I wasn't expecting that..." Rory sighed heavily, tossing the list back on the foot of the bed and ran her fingers through her hair, frustratedly. She fell back onto the bed and closed her eyes. Her head hung over the end and her feet touched the ground, so it was rather uncomfortable, but she was, of course, too lazy to move. Rory concentrated on breathing and replayed what had just happened through her mind, focusing on the good part: slapping him.


	11. I love the tie Just not Metallica

******My apologies. It's been awhile. And I'm feeling moody and girly, so I'm not my usual gorgeously funny self. But just be thankful that I was in the mood to write something, at least... regardless of how long it took. Again, my (not-so-sincere) apologies. **

* * *

Chapter 11

It felt like any other day for Luke – he was just making coffee when Lorelai came in, earlier than usual. It was almost 10:00... on a Saturday. He frowned and leaned on the counter.  
"Hey," he said in his usual disgruntled manner. He tossed a used cloth over his shoulder in a very cliche diner way. He didn't notice the subtle look of worry in her face until she came closer. It would have been unnoticeable to anyone else, but not to Luke. "Something wrong?"

"Where is Jess right now?"

He frowned. "Upstairs, why?"

"Asleep?"

"Yeah."

"Good." She slumped her jacket and purse recklessly onto the counter seat next to her and sat down. Lorelai sighed heavily and looked at him. She gave him a weak smile but it didn't reach her sad, beautifully blue eyes. Luke could feel his heart break for her. "Something's wrong," she said.

"Lemme guess—"

"It starts with a 'J' and ends with an 'ess'."

He nodded, and looked down at the counter her started cleaning with the rag, just for an excuse not to look at her. "Whadda 'bout him?" He grunted.

"Luke, you know him better than anyone." He looked up. "You need to tell me – is he serious about changing?" Then, she waited for him to respond; her pleading eyes looking at him expectantly as he took his time to respond.

"I don't think I'm the one to answer that."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not the one who knows him best."

She groaned. "God doesn't count, Luke," she joked, though acted totally serious.

"Rory." This time it was Lorelai who looked down at the empty space in front of her. Luke stared at the top of her silky haired head.

"Maybe," she said, looking up, "Maybe not."

He sighed. "Look, I don't know if he is, either. But I trust he'll do the right thing."

"Why's that?" She asked, a brow raised.

"Doesn't matter."

"What?"

"My opinion doesn't matter," he said, dropping the rag on the counter. "Rory's opinion is the one that matters." Lorelai sighed, but he pretended to ignore it. "If she trusts him to stay and to change, then something tells me Jess will."

There was a long deafening pause while Lorelai thought. "I don't trust him."

"But you trust Rory."

She smiled genuinely. "I do."

"Then you should trust Rory's opinion. Neither your opinion, or mine matters, right now."

Lorelai looked into his eyes, and actually saw him. Her aqua eyed stare looked so caring and loving in that moment, which is when he turned away. He began pouring her a cup of coffee to go, long enough for his cheeks to stop flushing and for his gaze to go back to stern and unapproachable. This is what he did whenever he was with Lorelai, whenever he felt himself get too close; too personal; too... unfamiliar.

When he turned back around, she was standing with her coat back on and her purse slung over her shoulder. He stopped himself from smiling as he handed her the coffee. For a second he thought he could see sadness in her eyes; like she wanted the coffee to be in a mug, and not a to-go cup. The hopeful thought went away.

"Come again soon," he said.

"Thanks." She walked away and opened the door; that stupid bell jingling. "...And Luke," He looked up, "Your opinion always matters."

And then she left.

Later that morning, Jess stomped in his usual demeanor downstairs, tightening the straps of his watch. "Hey," he muttered to his dear uncle, walking past him to the coffee machine. "Since when do you drink coffee?"

"Since..." He didn't say anything as he started pouring the coffee into a to-go cup, and a flashback of Lorelai leaving came to Luke's mind, showing a tinge of sadness in his eyes. "...Since I decided I wanted every normal move I make to be questioned by overprotective uncles." Luke sighed, _Early morning sarcasm... Glad to see nothing's changed_. Luke ignored his slacker ways and began cleaning the counter again, though it needed no cleaning. "Going somewhere?"

Jess's jaw flexed and he swung his hear around, staring irritatedly at his prying uncle. He looked at his with a raised 'woah, step back' kind of brow. "Fine, sorry I asked."

Jess swiftly picked up his coffee and sauntered off towards the door, with the tinge of an angry strut. "I'll be back in a few hours." Luke merely grunted, obeying his nephew's wishes

not to pry. Jess paused, with a remorseful glance towards the counter, where his uncle stood, cleaning the same spotless bench. "I have a job interview," he confesses. Luke looks up, surprised, making Jess regret saying anything. The look on Luke's face actually seemed to hurt Jess – he could feel it in his chest; in his heart... or whatever it was that pumped that black gunk through his veins.

"I'm surprised." He said.

"I can tell," Jess said, then added with a sneer, "Who would ever think that Jess Mariano could be capable of change." He reached for the door, hearing the annoying bell of the door dingle away. Another flashback. He watched sadly as Lorelai walked through that door – he wasn't gonna do the same with Jess.

Luke smiled, actually showing some of his pearly whites. "No, I'm surprised you're wearing _that _to the interview."

Jess ignored the... _good_ feeling rise in his chest, and looked down at his Metallica t-shirt. His lips curled into a wry smile and he looked up. "It brings out my eyes," he said, like he had last time.

Luke dropped the rag, said nothing more then "Come on," and made his way swiftly upstairs, assuming that Jess would follow like a trained lap dog.

Jess sighed, glared ahead and considered leaving. Then, well against his nature, followed the man upstairs, practically biting his tongue.

Maybe he is capable of change.

When he entered the apartment, a shirt and something else was thrown at his face. "Wow, geez," Jess muttered in surprise.

"Wear that."

Jess looked down at the shirt tossed at his face: a white button-up. With a blue tie.

No.

"No. No way in _hell_ am I wearing a suit."

"You will if you want a job," Luke's muffled voice said from inside his closet. He could hear the clacking of the plastic hangers hitting each other.

"It's a job interview as an _assistant book salesman_, it's not like I'm running for congress." Luke walked over to him and held up a blue suede jacket, trying to avoid smirking. "Thank God for that."

Jess glared at him, then the two began what seemed like a very powerful staring contest until Jess caved. "Fine." He pulled off the shirt, revealing a firm, toned torso with a slight tan to it. It's no wonder what Rory saw in him. The kid started buttoning up his uncle's shirt, which was about three sizes too big for him, then the jacket – refusing to look Luke in the eye out of embarrassment. Cute.

As Jess began doing up the tie pathetically, he muttered something that was almost impossible for Luke to hear.

"Do you think I can change?" Luke stares down sadly at his nephew, who felt so vulnerable and exposed at that moment as he fumbled with the tie. Jess never had a father to teach him how to properly tie one. "Do you think... that I can give Rory what she wants; that I can do the right thing?"

Luke sighed, batted his hands away and began doing it for him. "No one's capable of change, Jess." In that moment, Jess almost vowed never to be vulnerable again.

"...But you will do the right thing." Jess looked up, hopeful. And Luke stared into his scared, hazel eyes – something he hadn't really seen before. "This thing you're doing with Rory right now, isn't changing."

Jess scoffed, looked down and said, "Hard to believe..."

"Jess, you haven't changed – you are just owning up to who you really are." The boy looked back up at him as he continued on his tie, almost as crappy at doing it up as Jess was. "You were always capable of goodness; of doing the right thing. You aren't changing; this is who you are – who you always were."

The two remained silent. Luke finished with Jess's tie and then patted him on his shoulders. "Thank you, Luke," he said, but he obviously wasn't talking about the tie. With that, Jess walked out the door, and Luke smiled proudly.

"Don't screw up the interview," he shouted after Jess.

"Whatever," he muttered in reply, letting the door close shut behind him, and on the rare heart-felt moment they were sharing.


	12. I love these rare moments

Chapter 12

Going back to school was an unbelievable relief for Rory. She hadn't seen Jess for two days, but she still found herself holding her breath every time she turned a corner or heard a knock on the door, only to find Skip in his disturbingly short shorts, instead, or Miss Patty smiling wrying at her, with a raised brow.

Now her time away from Stars Hollow, her mother and Jess had turned from two days to a week as she busied herself with work. Jess had left her alone, making it annoying hard to concentrate on her school work, but was upset her was the fact that she hadn't spoken to her mother in quite some time and she needed someone to talk to.

Especially now.

Rory never expected to go into school feeling overwhelmed, only to come out even more overwhelmed. What the sweet Rory thought was a unimportant meeting involving a bad paper, turned out to be something far worse. Dropping a class was failure's ugly rear end in Rory's baby blue eyes. As the night grew dark and the tears continued to fall, the cars driving by her were harder to see as they seemed to shape into a blur of colours – sort of like a modern piece Picasso might have done... if it had a naked mistress somewhere in the background...

Rory dialed her mother's number again and held it to her ear. "Mom, something bad has happened... And I just – just... call me back, okay?" She quivered. "As soon as you get this..." Rory got off the highway, and she pressed harder on the gas, trying to get to Stars Hollow faster.

More tears rolled down her cheeks and snuffles filled the silence. Then all she could think was how stupidly unrealistic it was when girls cried in movies! They always look so sad, yet beautiful... But never any snot. Whereas Rory was just a fountain of snot and salty black tears from her minuscule amount of mascara.

'Waterproof', my ass.

_What am I going to do?... What will grandpa say?... _And of all the terrible unanswerable questions running through her mind the one Rory couldn't push away was _who could possibly understand what she was going through?_ Rory could assume what people would say: a lot of 'there, there's, and 'things will work out', and she knew what they would all be thinking: _get over it_. To everyone, Rory was labelled 'the overachiever'. She realised the only person who could possibly understand was Paris.

She burst into even more tears over that depressing fact.

Rory reached Stars Hollow, and even Taylor's insane stoplight couldn't stop her from her hysteria. She deliberately sped up when she drove underneath it, causing herself to smirk in triumph for a flash of a second before the wordFAILURE popped darkly into her mind in big black letters, Tarantino style.

Rory's car skidded to an alarming stop in her mother's driveway. She dashed out of the car.

"Mom!" She yelled, opening the unlocked door. "Mom, you here?!"

Silence.

"Oh, man..." She quivered before running in her uncomfortable heels down the porch stairs, back to her car that still had the engine running. She shifted her car in reverse, noticing the front door she left wide open, but in her panic, continued driving carelessly...

...She stopped the car. "Oh, geez," she grumbled to herself, stomping furiously towards the door because at that point she hated herself for being such a _good_ person. Ha!

Such a problem that must be...

Rory closed the door, then pulled a Usain Bolt back to her car. "Aaah!" She squeaked when her shoes skidded in the mud, threatening to make her fall.

Rory got in her car and drove off to the other place she knew her mother would be. The Dragonfly.

Then she went over the same process.

"Mom! Mom, please tell me you're here!"

She needed someone. Rory needed someone to lean on – just this once she needed someone to hold her and tell her that she was not a failure. She needed to hear those words. She wanted her mother. She wanted someone who knew what it was like. What it was like to feel like a failure and to bounce back. She wanted someone. Someone who understood her more than anyone else. Someone like Jess.

"Rory. Hey." Bewildered and surprisingly scared, she turned around to find someone who was there to comfort her. But it wasn't Jess.

"Dean. Hi."

[WATCH THE FUCKING EPISODE, IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON... _THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING LORELAI'S..._P.S THIS IS THE ALTERNATIVE ENDING]

Lorelai had been through a lot. And it had made her stronger. But she hadn't felt like... like _this_ since she was sixteen and pregnant. She hadn't felt like that until now. Like such a _failure_.

She needed someone. _I wish I was married, right now_, she thought. Very few times she thought this. _There are very few times in my life when I find myself sitting around thinking this, but today, I mean - I'm happy... I like my life. I like my friends. I like my stuff. My time, my space, my TV... _At that moment, the one thing Lorelai needed right now was for someone to tell her she wasn't a failure – to hold her close and assure her that everything would be okay. For the first time in a long time, she didn't want to be strong, and for the first time in a long time, she _couldn't_ be strong.

Lorelai obliviously quickened her pace as she approached Luke's diner so she could cancel their dinner. But even she knew how that meeting would end up. Lorelai opened the door to the diner. With a pathetic attempt to hold back tears, one seeped down her cheek.

"Luke?" She quivered, wiping her sniffling nose with her sleeve. Lorelai stared at the stairs, waiting for her knight and shining armour to save her yet again.

"Luke's not here." When Lorelai heard the horribly familiar voice of one Tyler Durden impressionist, she felt as though one of the last few strings holding her together snapped.

"Well, where is he?"

Jess appeared from inside the kitchen, throwing a dirty rag over his shoulder and placing his muscular hands against the table – he reminded her of Luke. "Out," he said in his usual rude demeanor, but then when he looked up and saw her face he added "Uh, but I'm sure he'll be back soon..."

Lorelai sniffled, feeling another metaphorical string snap. "Okay," she whimpered pathetically.

The two of them stood there, awkwardly with him staring at her like she was a caged animal to be observed and with her staring everywhere else but at him because she knew if she would, that she would lose it.

"Uh..." This was not a situation he was often in... or ever, for that matter. "Is something wrong." _Yeah, no shit Sherlock_, he thought to himself.

She laughed weakly. "Wow, you should be a detective," she muttered, then made the mistake of looking at him.

Then the tears began to fall.

Her head dropped, covering her eyes with a shivering hand. Jess stared at her in bewilderment, like she was insane.

"_Everything's falling apart..._" She cried. Jess's hand dropped to her side. He stood there, stiffly and instinctively glanced at all possible exits. Lorelai glanced up at him, though he was completely burry with tears. "_I just... I just don't know what to do..._"

Jess rolled his eyes and sighed. He tossed the rag from his shoulder onto the bench, said "Take a seat," and grabbed a cup, beginning to pour the coffee. Lorelai had no strength to argue so she just sat at the counter, across from Jess.

"Look," he began sternly, "I'm not really into the whole comforting thing," he said, expressing his discomfort with a hand gesture. Lorelai scoffed and nodded in agreement. Jess's jaw clenched... _So I'm just going to handle this the only way I know how, _he thought to himself.

"Tell me what happened."


	13. I love these new memories

Review, people! Even if it's mean... okay, not if it's mean, but still...

* * *

Chapter 13

It was a strange moment between Jess and Lorelai. There was no gentle, warm embrace; no shoulder to cry on; no 'everything will be okay'.

"_Tell me what happened."_

"_Oh... where to begin?"_

"_Preferably at the start..." _

"Rory?" Lorelai asked tiredly when she woke up in her bed to find Rory sleeping next to her. Her eyes were red and puffy; lines of mascara stained on her smooth-like-a-baby's-ass face.

Her innocent, puffy eyes opened drowsily and she groaned, then Rory squeezed them shut again, refusing to accept that there was a world out there beyond her own.

"I'm with you there, kid," Lorelai said, then slung an arm over her daughter who looked as upset as she did last night.

"_Thirty grand?"_

"_Yep."_

"_Huh..."_

"_That's it? That's all you have to say?"_

"_Well, there's only one response that will please you, and I can assure you, I'm not going to say it."_

"_Ha...! Cheapskate..."_

"_Call it what you want."_

"_God, everything's just falling apart..."_

"It's good to see you, kiddo." Lorelai's muffled voice said through the pillow.

Rory scrunched her eyes up. "Huh?" Lorelai rolled her head to the side and said, "I said it's good to see you..."

"Oh."

"...Grandpa..."

Rory laughed and dropped her head back on the pillow. "It's good to see you too, mom."

"_Everything's just falling apart! I'm a failure!" _

"_You are not a failure."_

"_Yes I am..."_

"_Rory. You are _ not_ a failure."_

"_How am I gonna succeed in life if I can't even pass my courses?"_

"_You will... but that's not all that's bothering you, is it?"_

"Okay, time to get up," Lorelai told Rory, tapping her on the shoulder. Rory replied with a groan of refusal. "Rory, c'mon... I need coffee..."

Eyes still closed, she said "Then you get up and get it." She hugged her fully clothed body from the cold. The winter snow continued to fall.

Lorelai pulled the blanket closer to her, lifting it a little more off Rory. "Please?"

Rory half opened one eye only to glare at her mother's drooling, tired face. "I'm not your butler."

Lorelai opened her eyes and grinned innocently in the joking way she sometimes did. "Says who?" Rory snorted. "Hey, I didn't go through 40 hours of labour for _nothing,_" she kidded.

"Yeah, love you too, mom."

"Oh, I'm only kidding, sweetie... You were also the perfect excuse to try baby food."

"What?!"

"What, the mashed banana in a jar looked good!"

Rory dropped her head back on the pillow again. "You're insane."

"What, with Miss Regular over here?" Lorelai insinuated, pointing a finger in front of her face. The two of them were now wide awake and both very capable of movement, yet because of their regular ways, they both refused to move.

"Get your own darn coffee," Rory mumbled before rolling over, turning her back to her mother. Lorelai gasped and scoffed, mouth wide open with her eyebrows stitched together. Of course, she wasn't upset.

There was a comfortable silence.

"So... what happened to you last night?"

"What do you mean?" Rory grumbled. Even with her back to Lorelai, she could still tell her daughter was frowning adorably. "Your eyes are puffy. What were you crying over?" Lorelai asked, concern tangled in her words.

"_What do you mean?" _

"_Rory, I'm sure it must suck to be forced to drop a class – especially for you – but that can't be the only thing that's wrong."_

"_Yeah, it is."_

"_Rory, I know you. You're strong enough to handle school work. It's the other stuff you have difficulty with."_

"_What other stuff?"_

"_The stuff that you can't read about in text books."_

"_..."_

"_Who is it that you're crying over?"_

Rory rolled back over. Usually, she would lie to her mother about these situations, to protect her, but she just didn't have the energy to lie. Rory sighed. "I have to drop a course at school."

Lorelai made a small, almost sympathetic gasp/sigh. "Oh, hon..."

"No, but it's okay," she interrupted. Lorelai raised a brow. "You sure?"

"_Jess."_

"_Oh."_

"_I know, I'm sorry... I shouldn't be talking to you about this—"_

"_No, it's okay. I heard he was back in town."_

"_I'm just so..."_

"_Confused."_

"_No... I'm scared."_

"_Did he hurt you?"_

"_Ha ha... No, not this time..."_

"_Well, I would ask what happened, but I think I can assume."_

"_He loves me."_

"_..."_

"_Dean?"_

"_...Do you love him back?"_

"I'm sure," Rory said honestly. "How about you?" She asked sincerely, then she noticed the red nose, puffy eyes and dried mascara lines down her cheeks. She was practically a mirror... but with more wrinkles.

"Actually," Lorelai said with a genuine smile, "I'm good." She rolled on her back and looked up at the white wooden ceiling.

"Really...?" Rory questioned with uncertainty. "What happened?" She asked with those doe-eyes and innocent smile.

"_Trust me: nothing is falling apart."_

"_Really? Cos being thirty thousand dollars in debt sure as hell disagrees with you, Jess."_

"_Hey, I've been in situations a whole lot worse."_

"_And how did you get out of them?"_

"_I left the only person who ever really took care of me like a father to go find my biological one... Then I slept on his couch for awhile..."_

"_Gee... Helpful, thank you."_

"_I'm not trying to be helpful, I'm trying to be honest."_

"_Well, that's not what I want to hear."  
"But it's what you have to hear."_

"_Your people skills are really improving." _

Lorelai smiled again. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

Rory copied her mother; she rolled on her back and rested her arms underneath her head. "Yeah, same goes for me..."

The two of them grinned, both seeing through their feeble lies.

"Should we get up, now?" Rory asked the head of the household.

"...Not just yet..."

"_Look, I don't know if you'll find a way, but if someone like me can find a way to solve my problems, you sure as hell can."_

"_And did you do it on your own?"_

"_Nope. I had help."_

"_From your father?"_

"_From Luke."_

"_...I thought you guys stopped talking when you left."_

"_We did. But it doesn't mean he didn't help me."_

"_So... telepathically?"_

"_No. He just... whatever. This isn't about me."_

"_God, I don't even know where to start."_

"_Well, what was your plan?"_

"_...To ask Luke for thirty thousand dollars..."_

"_Huh."_

"_God, I hate it when you do that!"_

"_...The verbal thing comes and goes."_

"_Any thoughts on my idea of desperation?"_

"_You should ask him."_

"_What?"_

"_Luke has the money and would do... _anything_ for you."_

"_That is not true!"_

"_Look, I don't care enough to argue with you about that, but yeah, he would do almost anything for you."_

"_I can't do that..."_

"_Okay."_

"_..."_

"_But it's the best way. And knowing you, your business will be a good enough success to pay him back eventually."_

"_Thanks. Funny, I didn't think you were capable of compliments."_

"_Yeah, the world goes quiet; animals start acting funny..."_

"_Hah. Thanks, Jess."_

"_Huh. That sounded genuine."_

"_It was. So thanks."_

"_What for?"_

"_You made me see the truth."_

"_...So you gonna ask him?"_

"_No. But I know I'll be okay. Goodbye, Jess."_

"_Goodbye Lorelai."_

"_Hey—were you telling the truth before?"  
"About what?"_

"_Did you really pull your act together?"_

"_I'll see you tomorrow, Lorelai."_


	14. I love pickles, Ayn Rand, bells and ties

Okay... I'm am totally for free will and miranda rights, and all that stuff, but c'mon. It's common courtesy to review, people!

* * *

Chapter 14

Luke and Jess heard the door's bell dingle, but this time it wasn't annoying. Luke, who was refilling coffee mugs from behind the counter and Jess, who was taking an order (at the table numbered 'table by the window' by Elma and Gertie), both looked up at the door hoping to see who they wanted to see; the Gilmore girls. Obviously. Though eager with their paws up and begging, their faces didn't show it—their automatic facial expression is angry, irritated and tired.

Reverend Nichols and his wife entered through the door. "Geez." Jess's jaw clenched; he rolled his eyes, glared at the old, happy couple, and walked off with table's order, past Luke, who didn't look as irritated as his nephew. "What are you anxious about?"

"What are _you_ anxious about?" Jess sneered as a weak retort.

"Nothin', you?"

Jess glanced at him uneasily and walked into the storage closet. Luke carelessly placed the coffee pot on the counter in front of Kirk. "Pour your own coffee."

"You know, part of the reason I come here is for the customer service," the weird man-child called after him.

"Shut up, Kirk," Luke said over his shoulder. He walked past Caesar into the very familiar closet – last time they had a serious conversation in the storage room, Jess had a black eye... the situation hadn't changed much.

"What's up with you?" Luke asked Jess, who was opening boxes with the 'fun cutter thingy' and pulling out pickle jars. Jess glanced darkly at him, like he did with, well, everyone and began stacking pickle jars on the empty shelves. "Nothin'."

"Yeah, 'cos when nothing's wrong with me I act out and storm off with a dark exterior."

Jess looked at him with a sexy scowl—if possible. "I'm Italian; it's what we do," he quipped, then turned back to the pickles.

Luke sternly folded his arms and stared down at his nephew. "I hear it's bad to keep anger built up." He pointed a callused finger. "You should let it out."

"Give it a rest, Dr Phil," Jess sneered, tossing the jar from one hand to the other.

"You've made that joke before," he said, brow raised.

Jess gently slammed the jar on the shelf and said "Yeah, well, I guess I'm not my chipper self," Jess said sarcastically.

Luke adjusted his stand, leaning against the door frame that had no door. He stared blankly ahead. "Hard to imagine such an irony."

"Stop," Jess vocalised huskily, his crooked mouth bearing his teeth.

"Just a... _wild guess_," Luke began, feeling a little more tough today, "Rory?" When Jess didn't say anything, but proceeded in stacking pickles with his back to Luke, the man in flannel continued. "I mean... I can't imagine there being anything else for you to get _'Italian'_ over... 'Cos, I did land you a job."

"Excuse me?" Jess sneered, offended. Luke raised his hands in innocence, then folded them again. "What?"

Jess turned to face him with an standoffish pose, hands flexing by his sides. Jess pointed a finger at him and said, "You gave me a tie. Okay? It's not like that sanctions for sainthood."

"I'm only saying: how likely do you think it would be for you to have gotten a job _without_ the tie?"

"Keep talking about the tie and I'll throttle you with it," Jess threatened, sounding scarily serious.

Luke stared blankly ahead again. "It was a nice tie too..."

Jess slammed down another jar of pickles. "Just stop talking about the tie!"

"Fine, sorry," Luke said with an almost proud smile, then walked off. Jess glared at the man's back, then continued stacking jars, trying to endure as much peace as possible.

Then Luke walked back in with his regular gruff exterior and began stacking the pickles along side of him in silence. Jess stopped, frowned and stared at him. "What're you doin'?"

Luke glanced at him. "Nothin'."

Then when he realised what was going on, Jess smiled a wry and knowing smile.

Luke noticed. "What?"

Jess's wry smile didn't disappear. "You're hiding from her."

"Am not," Luke lied.

Jess then grinned at Luke's flushed cheeks. "Right, so you just had the sudden desire to stack pickles... I'm sure Mark Twain had the same desires."

Luke opened his mouth to speak, paused, then said "Shut up."

Jess smiled mockingly. "You know, you're supposed to be setting an example for innocent young men like me," he joked, stabbing a finger upon the wrack with a grin.

Luke blinked a lot, gritting his teeth. "Give me the tie, I wanna throttle _you_ with it."

Jess raised his hands in false defeat, still with a grin. He began backing out of the room. "Whatever you say, Uncle Luke..."

Jess started laughing to himself as he backed out into the diner, then turned around sharply. His wry smile faltered and he stared ahead blankly. "Hi."

"Hi," Rory breathed with a sweet smile and an obvious nervousness.

There was a silence as the two of them stared at each other, smiling slightly and genuinely as the looked into each other's eyes in a cheesy love story kind of way.

Lorelai, standing next to Rory looked back and forth from the two. "Hi," Lorelai interrupted extensively with a wave and a fake smile to draw their attention away from each other. She raised a brow at the two of them. "Anyone having a total deja vu, or is it just me?" She said, her look of innocence being a false cover.

Rory cocked her head to the side and glared at her.

Jess stared at the two blankly. Stiffly, he raised the coffee pot, next to Kirk, up. "Coffee?"

Both Rory and Lorelai frowned.

Jess smiled crookedly. "Right, look who I'm asking."

The Gilmore girls sat at the counter, unfortunately next to Kirk. Lorelai turned to him, smiled and winked seductively. Kirk merely stared back. "Something in your eye?"

Lorelai shook her head at his cluelessness, "No, I got it."

Jess, without a word slid two mugs over to them. Then he pulled the worn out book from within his pocket, leaned casually against the bench and began reading. Hemingway.

Rory glared at the book, like it was her enemy. "Wow."

"What?" Jess asked casually, not looking up from it.

Rory scoffed. "I can't believe you would read that in front of me."

He closed it, his thumb still between the pages, and narrowed his gaze. "And I can't believe you would read Ayn Rand at all."

Rory jaw dropped slightly, and her adorable baby-blue eyes narrowed right back. "She's a philosophical genius!"

Jess snorted. "Yeah, one worthy of an asylum."

Rory just glared.

"Ayn Rand is a political nut – at least Hemingway didn't broadcast his narrow-minded views across the world."

Rory snorted in derision. "Yeah, that would imply having ideas to broadcast."

Lorelai groaned and got up. "I'm going to leave you two to it... I'd rather not hear the dork's version of foreplay."

"Mom."

Lorelai sighed, making her way to the storage room and added, "...Just no sex in the coat closet."

Rory grimaced at even hearing those words come out of her mother's mouth.

"Then where are we allowed to have sex?" Jess said daringly with a smirk, not realising what he had actually said. _Oh, crap,_ he thought bashfully. "Sorry," he muttered, glancing up at her for a mere second, then back down at Hemingway.

"It's okay," Rory said, though Jess knew it wasn't. She could feel her cheeks flush. And yet she was glad he said it.

"No it isn't..." He muttered, silently to himself.

"Yeah it is." Jess looked up at her, nervous that she had heard him. Rory smiled at him. "It kind of broke the ice..."

"A very Gandhi approach."

Rory smiled proudly. "Not when you look at it as the Gandhi : Snowball ratio." She added an innocent smile.

"Huh," he said, looking up at her, smiling.

"So..." Rory let out a breath she'd been holding onto. "How was your night last night?" She asked, smiling. The two of them switching from only intense and intimate moments to casual(ish) conversation.

Jess dropped his book on the counter and leaned his folded arms further on the bench. "It was—"

"More coffee, please?"

Jess cocked his head and glared at the annoyingly nice looking lady, holding her cup in the air. He looked longingly at Rory and gave her a weak smile when she noticed.

He walked over to her then stopped. There was another pot of coffee exactly three inches away from this woman. Jess glared at the pot then at her.

She looked up. "More coffee?"

He breathed heavily through his nose. "Probably a good thing you're not pouring it yourself."

She looked up from her magazine and Jess began pouring.

"You might pull something," he sneered sarcastically, his glare still there. He aggressively placed the pot back on the table and walked back over to Rory all bright eyed and bushy tailed.


	15. I love my sweater

Chapter 15

"Mom, have you seen my sweater?"

"I dunno!" Lorelai shouted from upstairs.

Rory frowned, rummaging through her obsessively neat drawers. "How do you _not_ know?"

"It's not _my _sweater."

"Then why do you insist borrowing it all the time...?" Rory muttered.

"I heard that," Lorelai said, coming around the corner into Rory's room. Rory closed the draw and put her hands on her hips. "I said it out loud. Duh."

Lorelai raised a brow, then fell to her daughter's bed, cuddling Colonel Plucker underneath her chest. "Why such a charming mood tonight?"

Rory turned back to her drawers, reopening the ones she just rummaged through. "I can't find my sweater."

"Um..." She quirks her mouth to the side and stares up, pretending to think. "Check under the bed."

Rory sneers. "Why would my sweater be under the bed?"

"Be-e-cause it didn't wanna you to get caught cheating on the jeans?" She grinned cheekily and Rory stared at her with her failed attempt of a stern face.

Lorelai gave a quick brow raise. "Wow, Veronica Sawyer strikes again," she says sarcastically.

"What's you damage, Heather?" Rory half-heartedly snaps, keeping up on the outdated reference. Rory sighs, closing the drawers sharply and slumps over to the bed. Lorelai reluctantly nudges over for Rory to plop down. She closed her eyes. Lorelai tapped Rory with Col. Plucker's fluffy foot. "Hey."

"Mm?"

"What's wrong?"

Rory opened her eyes and stared into her mother's. "I don't wanna go to Grandma's tonight."

Lorelai's eyebrows were raised so high, she looked like Captain Crunch (his eyebrows come from out of his hat). "Really?"

"Don't act so surprised."

Lorelai smiled. "Sorry – it's just weird... Sort of like looking into a mirror..."

Rory rolled off the bed onto the floor and began searching for her sweater. "That would be insulting."

"Hey, you'd be lucky to look as good as I do at my age," Lorelai said, assuming her moody daughter was joking. She began patting proudly at her cheeks.

When Rory didn't respond, she continued in a more motherly manner. "Don't worry – I'm sure one of us will say something unpatriotic about George Bush's name, or mistakenly make fun of the polished silver, and we'll get kicked out before the poisoned desert even arrives."

Rory sat up on her knee caps, looking confused. "Poisoned?"

Lorelai scoffed like it was obvious. "Well, surely the maid will be pro Al Gore, get upset and either poison us... or set fire to the house."

Rory shrugged. "Well, it's better than cornering us into a bathroom, taking an axe to the door and saying 'here's Johnny'." She smiled innocently, then returned to looking under her bed. Lorelai sat up. "Ugh, just borrow one of mine."

"You mean from the person who hasn't done her laundry in over _two weeks_."

Lorelai gasped. "What, you keeping tabs on me, now?"

Rory's head popped back out again. "Well, someone's got to," she said then went back down under – don't interpret that dirtily.

"Okay," Lorelai began, removing herself from the bed, "You're crabby. And your crabby-ess – crabby-ess-ness? Crab-uless?"

4"–Crabby-ness," Rory corrected.

Lorelai placed Col. Plucker down on the bed gently. "Right." She pointed a dainty finger. "Well, your _crabby-ness_ is starting to make me crabby too, so I'll leave you to your search for Neverland."

Rory sighed. "Thanks."

Lorelai left, then did a double-take, a hand resting on the door frame. "Oh, and be careful when looking in the closet – you might fall through and find yourself trapped in the magical world of Narnia."

Rory smiled half-heartedly. "Give me twenty minutes."

"I'll give you twenty-one minutes because you smell nice," she said with a positive tone and a cheesy smile, making Rory laugh.

Then when her mother left, she continued to search for the very specific sweater, for absolutely no reason in particular. Honest. (DO NOT READ ANYTHING INTO THE SWEATER.)


	16. I love you Emily Mom doesn't

Chapter 16

"Mom, stop it!"

"I most certainly will not."

"For once, can't you just take me seriously and _actually_ listen to me?!"

"I _am_ listening to you. But what you're saying is not worth listening to – and lower your voice, the shouting is unnecessary."

"'Not worth listening to'? Gee, mom, nice maternal instinct you have there."

"Lorelai, please... you're giving me a headache."

"Well, if you had just acknowledged what I had said in the beginning none of this would be happening!"

"You're being absurd and oversensitive."

"And you're being ignorant and self-absorbed."

"Lorelai!"

"How could you _possibly_ think, even for a second, that The Beetles are better than Elvis?"

Rory sighed heavily and dropped her head into her hands. Richard was already reading the paper, completely oblivious to what was going on. And Emily and Lorelai were just syllables away from jumping out of their seats and lunging for each other's throats – well, Lorelai was; Emily was far too dignified for that.

"Mom... Grandma... Could we please just drop this, call a truce and eat a peace-making slice of pie?" She suggested innocently.

Lorelai looked adoringly, bordering on sympathetically, at her daughter, who always seemed to have the best intentions.

"What?" Rory grimaced.

"Oh, sweetie," Lorelai smiled. "No."

Rory groaned and that 'no' resulted for the girl to go back to her previous position: head in hands.

"I believe Rory has a point, you two," Richard interrupted, not even bothering to glance up from his paper.

"Oh, so he speaks..." Emily says with a raised brow and poised lips.

"Does he sing? Dance, too?" Lorelai asked with a fake gasp.

Rory looked through gapped fingers to see the unspoken truce. She smiled happily, then stared across at her mother.

Richard sighed tiredly, closing his paper. "I would not bet my money on it."

Lorelai flashed a brow raise. "Hm. Bummer."

"Now..." Richard continued, placing the paper on the table and rising from his seat, "If you will all excuse me, I have some calls to make."

"With your boyfriend? Because he's so cute and dreamy?" Lorelai added an innocent smile up at her father who stared down narrowly at her. Richard buttoned up his suit in his regular dignified way.

"Lorelai, Rory, it was wonderful seeing you again. And I will see you next week," he said as tiredly as before. Richard walked off, his back straightened.

Lorelai titled her head and squinted as she watched him leave. "You know... his silhouette _kinda_ looks like Alfred Hitchcock's," she slowly said, only partially joking.

Emily turned to her daughter and glared. "Lorelai!"

"What, mom, it's a compliment!" Lorelai pathetically defended.

Rory's head fell back into her hands.


	17. I love, No I hate this confusion

Okay, guys, no one's review... It's hurting my feelings a little bit...

P.S

_Shit's about to go down... _After this chapter, I mean...

* * *

Chapter 17

Rory laid her head against the car window, looking out at the highway, thinking about Jess while Lorelai drove. "Okay, so dinner didn't take as long as I expected, so I was thinking..." Lorelai looked over at her daughter. "...not as much as you, apparently."

"Huh?" Rory practically shot up out of her seat.

Lorelai sniffed a little laugh. "Oh, nothing. You just missed the beginning of my apparent monologue since you weren't, in any way, listening to me."

"Sorry," Rory breathed, leaning her elbow against the car door. She rubber her forehead.

Lorelai glanced back and forth from her to the road ahead... Probably a safe call for driving. "What were you thinking about?" Lorelai asked suggestively.

Rory took no more than a second to glance at her mother. "Um... nothing much..."

"Wow, you _suck_ at lying."

Rory frowned, crossing her arms. "I do not."

"So... what were you thinking about?"

She sighed. "Jess."

"Why, I'm shocked," Lorelai said sarcastically. Rory pouted. "Sweets, you wanna talk about it?"

Rory, still pouting, turned to her mother and nodded adorably. "Yeah."

Lorelai glanced at her troubled daughter sympathetically. "So – what specifically do you wanna talk about?"

Rory's lower lip trembled. "EVERY-TH-HI-ING!" She blubbered. It was sad, yet Lorelai couldn't help but find the sight funny and adorable all at the same time.

"Well, honey, let's start at the beginning."

She sniffed, then started talking. "I... Um... The main problem is I don't know what to do, how to think, how to feel, and if what I'm feeling is right..."

"Well... what are you feel—"

"And I wanna trust him, but... he's never the one to be there for me; to save the day! You know?"

"So do you want him to sa—?"

"I mean, I know I'm not one of those girls who wants to be a damsel in distress who need a knight in shining armour to come rescue her, but... It would be nice to _know_ that I have that option to fall back on..."

"So do you—"

"I mean, every situation that has ever involved me being in a damsel-like situation has never had Jess on the good end of it – he has never been the one to save me!"

"Like when—"

"Yeah, like the thing at the party in Kyle's bedroom! I was crying and _Dean_ was the one to 'save' me, not Jess."

"Hon, you can't—"

"_Dean_ always knew what to do; how to save me—"

"And Jess is the one who—"

"Are you defending Jess?" Rory nearly sneered.

Lorelai hesitated. "Well... Yeah, maybe. A little."

Rory, looking shocked, sharply faced straight ahead at the road.

Lorelai, flustered, continued speaking. "What, I had an okay moment with him..."

"Yeah, but you always said Jess was the anti-christ." Rory frowned furiously, her brow becoming mono.

"I did not!"

"Did too."

"Well, maybe I've had a change of heart..." Lorelai refused to look at her daughter, starting straight ahead at their home that was approaching them.

Rory sighed. "So... what do you think I should do?"

Lorelai's brow furrowed a little more. "I don't know... I'm not you. And I don't know how you feel about him, so I can't say for sure..." She glanced back at her worried looking daughter. "Sorry, hon."

Lorelai pulled up into Stars Hollow, like she did every other tiresome Friday night.

"I need to do... something; something that helps me make up my mind!" Rory said, thrusting her fist into the air, all determined.

"What, like getting Molly Ringwald to give up one of her earrings?" Her mother added sarcastically.

"No," Rory said, rolling her eyes, like Lorelai's response was genuine. "Like... something."

She paused. "...I'll figure it out."

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed, waving a hand flamboyantly. "Let Future Rory handle it."

Rory glared at her mother, then slouched back in her seat.

Then she slowly rose.

"Stop the car!"


	18. I love you still

Chapter 18

"Stop the car!" Rory repeated.

Lorelai's head cocked to the side. "What?"

"Stop the car!" She repeated again.

In a panic, she replied, "Okay, okay – I'm stopping!"

The car made a screeching stop. Before Lorelai knew what was going on, Rory bolted out of the car, shouting "See you at home," because even Rory can't do something spontaneous and intense without informing her mother of her plans. And a spontaneous plan is, by definition, an oxymoron.

Rory, ignoring the painful fact that she was in heels and a short-ish silky dress without any other layers ran towards Luke's diner. The door was closed, the lights were off, yet that didn't stop from knocking loudly. When no one came to unlock the door at that immediate time, she reached up to the top of the door frame and felt for the dust-covered key. Though it was a small town, only a few people knew of that key. Jess told Rory about it once when they were dating.

Rory hastily unlocked the door and barged into the very obviously closed diner.

And there was Jess.

He was buttoning up his shirt as he reached the bottom of the staircase. He looked irritated and soaked; his hair in a sexy disarray; his skin shining with water. "Hey," he said with that dry husky voice of his. "Sorry, I was in the shower... Almost couldn't hear you..."

Rory had a look of fierce determination. Until she saw him. In her mind, she had run through a hundred different scenarios, but then she saw him...

And then she flustered.

Jess smiled with a furrowed brow, confused. "What're you doin' here?"

Her eyes went wide. "Uh... I don't know, exactly..."

He bobbed his head. "Ok."

Rory rolled her eyes, gesturing at him. "Oh, great, the monosyllabic thing again," she muttered to herself.

"The talking thing comes and goes," he said, doing up his last button. He subconsciously rubbed at his watch-less wrist. It felt, and looked, so naked not to have the leather there.

Rory looked up at him.

Jess frowned. "Does this feel... familiar to you?"

"Yeah, it does." There was a pause. "I don't know why," she breathed.

The boy's brow raised. "Huh." He clapped his hands together behind his back and took one lingering step closer, seeing they were on opposite sides of the room. "Because it kinda reminds me of our first kiss," he said with a smirk. It was supposed to come out cool and collected, but instead sounded a little corny.

Rory, looking bashful, stared down at her black heeled shoes, brushing some fallen hairs behind her ear. They fell back in front of her eyes. When no one spoke Rory found the confidence she lost and spoke. "I'm a little nervous."

"Well, you're no James Dean at this moment."

Rory blushed.

Jess rolled his eyes at his sarcastic stupidity. "Look, uh, why don't you just tell me what – you, uh – what you wanted to do... And we'll go from there."

"I don't really know what I wanted to do." Her perfectly smooth cheeks got even redder with embarrassment.

"Ok, just try this:" He paused. "Don't think; just do."

"Do what?"

"Whatever it is you wanna do... On instinct."

She frowned. "Doesn't sound very Yale-educated."

He sighed. "...Or we could just continue standing here awkwardly..." He took another step closer. Rory, however, remained stiff and unmoving.

He stopped. Jess began thinking to himself about what they were doing and what she was doing here. "Why are you here?"

"Huh?" She looked up, innocently.

"I said: why are you here?" He looked at her, actually at her. Rory's body suddenly looked fragile, and like her eyes could be on the verge of tears or shooting fire from them.

"I'm making a stand."

"Some stand," he muttered.

Rory sneered. "Nice support!"

"Never intended to give it," he said honestly. Rory couldn't tell how he was feeling. He was just... Blank. It was hard to tell with him.

She placed a hand on her hip. "I see what you're doing."

He raised a brow. "What am I doing?"

"You're trying to provoke me."

"Well, maybe that's a good thing," he said, his eyes narrowing. "Maybe then you'll actually do something."

Rory's gaze darkened. "You think I won't."

Jess shrugged, smiled and nodded arrogantly. "I know you won't."

"Fine, I won't," she said, whirling herself around and reaching for the door handle.

"Wait," Jess blurted out. He grabbed her by the waist from behind, and shoved the door closed with a flat palm. She could feel his hot breath tickle her ear, and instead of moving his hand from her waist, he held on tighter, yet it still felt intimately gentle. "...That was the part where you were supposed to prove me wrong and kiss me..." He whispered in her ear. Rory closed her eyes, breathing in his scent of leather and old books. It felt so familiar.

Her grip remained tightly on the door handle, but then she just felt... And her grip loosened.

Rory got her answer. She smiled because she knew. She knew how right it felt. With him. Rory's other hand slowly curled around his; the one he still had gripped onto her waist. This was the moment – the altering one where she had to make her decision. And she had. She knew what she wanted. She _knew_ who she wanted. And she knew what she wanted to do next.

But then he whispered those three simple words.

"_I love you..."_

Rory's eyes opened. The loose grip she still had on the handle tightened again, and she pulled open the door.

Rory ran out of the diner, leaving Jess there; heartbroken, confused and alone.


	19. I don't know if I can love you like this

Yes, this chapter is short. And, no, it's not because I'm lazy. This is for dramatic affect. I'm a girl. It's in my genetic code to be this dramatic. So deal, dudes.

Chapter 19

Jess walked angrily up the stairs to his old room (sorta). His breathing was heavy and his teeth gritting. He slammed the door loudly behind him, the glass threatening to break. He'd never felt this before. Such... anger. He'd always been angry, but this was different – overwhelming. His breathing didn't grow lighter and he ran his rough fingers through his not-yet-gelled hair, gripping it into fists.

He walked in slow, pacing circles, contemplating what just happened... how close he got... and how much he lost... Then he punched the wall. It made a well expected thud, and then he buckled over in pain, gripping his now throbbing hand. "Geez..." He breathed, annoyed at how stupidly cliche he was acting.

He didn't like this.

He didn't like how he was acting and what he was doing. Jess knew himself; flaws and all, but he sure as hell knew he wasn't _this_. He loved Rory, and he had said that he wouldn't leave this time. But he knew himself. He knew he couldn't just sit around and wait around for Rory to make an ass out of him.

This wasn't him.

And he knew that. And when he thought about the possibility of feeling this horrible, angry humiliation deep in his gut, he thought he couldn't handle it.

He just couldn't.


	20. Oops, I love Rory, too

Holy shit, things are getting intense! Even for me! Now – don't hate Rory too much. In the end, we're all human. Plus Rory was a major douche towards the end of season 4, anyways, so I'm just following the rules...

Chapter 20

_I've ruined it... I've ruined everything..._ Rory thought. She covered her mouth with a trembling hand, the other running through her short sugar-brown hair.

Rory was supposed to be walking home. She was supposed to go home, talk to her mother and eat a tub of ice cream while watching The Breakfast Club because it bitterly reminded her of Jess.

But she wasn't walking home. Actually, she didn't know where she was heading, but she knew it wasn't anywhere in the direction of her house. Rory had walked past Peach Street and Plum, finding herself at the beginning of a completely different one. Rory picked up her pace; partially because it was freezing and partially because she wanted to stop herself from thinking. Yeah... that didn't work.

_What have I done?_ She thought, scared and desperate. _I knew what I wanted! I knew!_ Rory rubbed at her eyes to stop the tears from coming.

_Then why...? _

But before she could properly ask herself why she cowered out, she knocked on the door of a slightly familiar townhouse that she had never really entered.

_What am I doing? What am I doing? What am I—?_

The red-painted door with the golden handle squeaked open.

"Rory?"

"Hi," Rory breathed, with a false smile that didn't make it to her eyes. Her baby-blue eyes of innocence looked up into the tall figure's.

"Hi," Dean said with a genuine smile, baring his perfectly white teeth. His head practically touched the top of the door frame and he leaned against it, his hands shoved into the pockets of his over-sized jeans. But his genuine smile faltered when he saw her eyes and how they were on the verge of tears. Dean was too good a man to ignore her obvious vulnerability, fear and discomfort... usually.

He stepped aside and said "Come in."

Rory gave him a weak smile and walked into the married man's foyer where she immediately saw Dean and Lindsay's wedding photo on a side table. The happy couple were hugging each other with huge, beautiful smiles on their faces. Rory felt a sharp pain in her heart. "Where's Lindsay?" Her voice wavered, but Dean pretended not to notice.

"She's..." Dean closed the door. "...Staying with her grandmother for the week – she's sick..."

"Oh." Rory didn't say anything else. She squeezed her numb hands together until her knuckles turned white – or _whiter_.

Dean walked closer to her and she did the same. "So... That night... when you – you comforted me..."

"Yeah," he said, taking another life-altering step. "...I could be wrong, but I feel like..."

"Like what?" Rory breathed, taking another minuscule step closer.

"Like it could have turned into something more..."

Rory squeezed her eyes shut. "I felt the same..." she whispered, knowing the words she was forcing herself to say were lies. She couldn't look Dean in the eye. She couldn't think, and she couldn't stop herself...

"Dean?"

"What?" He whispered, taking another step closer, lowering his forehead to touch hers.

"What..." _What about Lindsay?_ Rory wanted to know, but she knew that if she did... she would stop. "...I just can't believe this is happening," she said honestly. She really couldn't, but not for the right reasons.

"I can," Dean whispered before raising Rory's chin into a kiss.

Rory could feel the tears begin to fall down her cheeks, and Dean felt them against his own. He knew: he knew how vulnerable she was and how she didn't know what she was doing. But, for once, it didn't matter to him. _This is Rory_, he told himself.

Their kiss lingered, his tongue massaging hers, but then they parted. Without a word, Dean took her hand and led her up the creaking stairs, past the multiple photos of Dean and Lindsay in love. He ignored them, but Rory couldn't help but stare, a pit of guilt growing stronger...

When they got to Dean's room, he pulled her close and she let him.

"I love you, Rory..." he said. Rory's eyes squeezed shut and instead of responding, she just wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He lowered her carelessly onto the bed – his bed – _Lindsay's_ bed.

And before the two of them knew what was happening, Rory's thoughts ran wild.

She couldn't stop herself from thinking, from hearing haunting words running through her mind. But then when Dean leaned in closer, the only words Rory could hear running through her mind were Jess's saying those three simply words:

_I love you..._


	21. The End? Or the beginning?

Chapter 21

Rory woke up sore, ashamed and completely brokenhearted. In Dean and Lindsay's bed. The smell of Dean's cheap cologne wafted up her nose, along with the cruel, subtle scent of Lindsay's perfume.

She had slept with Dean. Rory hadn't just lost her virginity to Dean, but she also_slept _with him; as in fallen asleep in his bed. In _Lindsay's_ bed.

Dean had his naked muscular arm wrapped around her waist. Rory squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to cry anymore. Dean didn't... Smell right. He smelled of oak wood scented cologne and really cheap shampoo, not like old books and leather... Rory wanted that smell... she wanted the beautiful scent of old books and leather.

_Jess_... Rory thought. _...What have I done? _Rory knew, more than anything, that she had to get out of there.

So she did.

Rory gently removed Dean's arm off her, flinching away from his hot breath. She sat up, ran her fingers through her short hair and wiped a thumb underneath her eyes – her fingers were now black with runny mascara. She stood up slowly, worried the creaking of the bed would wake the sleeping giant up. Rory turned to see herself in their bedroom mirror. She looked so... cheap. Rory kneeled down to pick up her silk dress, mainly because she needed it to leave but also because she didn't want to see herself in that mirror again.

_This is how I lost my virginity? _Rory, slipping on her dress, cringed, her hands trembling. She didn't even know why she did it... And she wished she hadn't. She really, really wished it. But unfortunately Rory knew the world didn't work that way.

Yale educated.

When Rory had her suddenly flimsy seeming dress on, she grabbed her shoes and walked out, not even glancing back at the peacefully unconscious former boyfriend Dean Forrester.

Rory walked home, hugging herself as protection from the cold, which still made her arms blue, but her cheeks flushed. She managed to make herself look presentable enough to not get noticed... It helped that it was seven in the morning and everyone in Stars Hollow was either asleep or farming. Thank God it's Saturday. (Get it? Instead of TGIF?)

Rory sighed heavily and ran her fingers through her hair again, trying to force herself to forget. She found herself relieved when her Mother's driveway came into view. Rory's plan was to sneak in, shower, go to sleep and wake up, pretending like nothing ever happened while figuring out some way to repair her regretful screwup with Jess.

Rory convinced herself that this was the best way to handle the situation, sorta like the time she convinced herself that wallowing was not the answer to a breakup.

At one point, she even found herself smile with tired relief when she began walking down the driveway – until she saw Jess's crummy car sitting behind Rory's.

And there was Jess...

Rory's heart broke all over again, just by looking at him. He sat there looking all tired on the hood of his car. For once, he didn't look cool and collected; he looked unsettled. Jess sat with his legs hanging three inches from the grass. He looked freezing, and sad, holding a book in his hands, but he wasn't looking at the book, but right passed it.

He looked up and the two of them stared at each other.

Rory sighed again, then walked over to him, almost reluctantly. Jess stared back down, past his book as Rory slumped down next to him. Her hanging ankles crossed over each other and she felt a slight comfort in her feet as the pressure released, but her butt immediately began feeling numb from the freezing car's hood.

They sat in silence, both staring ahead.

"So," Jess said.

"So..." Rory breathed, her heart beating fast.

There was another torturous silence, until Jess spoke with angst tangled in his words. "Rory, what the hell?"

Rory flinched. "I'm sorry," was all she managed to say as she brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Sorry for what: the teasing, or the bolting?" Jess sneered from the corner of his mouth.

"Both, I—"

"Or was it for whatever you did after the teasing and the bolting?" He asked, referring to her (not-technically) slept in clothes.

Rory went silent, and for a second she though her throat had closed up, like she couldn't speak or breathe. "I...Nothing happened," Rory lied, "...If that's what you're thinking."

Jess looked over at her, his eyes wider than usual. "So, what, you just fell asleep in the parking lot with Johnny and Ponyboy and lost track of time?"

Rory's hands trembled a little by the hurt in his voice. She turned and looked at him. "I slept at Lane's." She felt a pain in her heart by the way Jess stared at her. "I felt like I needed a friend, so I went to Lane's..." Jess looked down and Rory felt the need to stack lie on top of lie. "I left before her mother woke up," she said, and Rory prayed that Jess didn't know of Lane's current living situation – which was certainly _not_ with the mother who kicked her out.

Rory looked anxiously at Jess. "...Say something," she practically pleaded.

Jess let out a deep breath. "Ok," he said simply, then hopped off the car.

Rory frowned. "Wait... Is that an 'ok, I'll say something' or an 'ok, I accept that answer'?" Jess stood in front of her and shoved his folded book into his back pocket. He took his time saying "Ok, I believe you."

Rory couldn't help pouting. "You do?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets and grimaced, glancing up at the sky. "Not really, but I guess I have to, don't I?"

Rory looked at him suspiciously. "You do?"

The corner of Jess's mouth twitched into a smile. "That's what a relationship is: trust."

_Great, the beginning of our relationship, and I've already told the biggest (relationship ending) lie_, Rory thought, then cocked her head to look at Jess. "Wait, what relationship?"

Jess's jaw clenched anxiously. "Rory, last night, my instinctive thought was to give up. To just... leave. The idea of feeling that anger and humiliation again made me want to leave..."

Those words felt like a knife to Rory's heart.

"But, then," he said, sighing, "I realised that you were worth it," he breathed, then smiled weakly. He feared Rory could hear his heart practically thumping out of his chest, ignorant to the basics of human biology at that moment. Well... He _is_ an un-graduate.

With Rory's frozen butt still sitting on the hood of his dingy car, Jess was the one to move closer. "Rory, I'm a screw up it's... in my genetic code," he said, remembering what his father said to him, once. He stared down at the ground for a second before his dark eyes fell back on her. "And I've never really done anything good—"

"That's not true," Rory interrupted, raising a stopping hand. "You unlocked the door for Luke's uncle's funeral gathering." Rory smiled innocently and genuinely, but Jess didn't. He remained looking love-struck and serious.

"Yes, well other than that heroic gesture, the only good thing I did was you..."

Rory grimaced. "You did me good...?"

Jess breathed heavily through his nose and gritted his teeth. "I thought _you_ were the one who graduated from high school," he jeered then when Rory raised a brow he managed an apologetic eye roll – if possible. "Rory... I've made only wrong choices, but you were the only right one I've ever made."

"Oh, come on," Rory squeaked.

"'Come on' what?" Jess frowned with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I can't be the _only_ good choice you've ever made. _Ever._" She said with an eye roll then smiled at him weakly.

"Yeah, Sam Pink, accept the compliment and move on, would ya?"

Rory grinned.

"...I think it's your turn to say something."

Rory stared down, holding the suspense to the point where Jess held his breath. She looked up and smiled. "I think Richard Gere would be proud of you," she joked.

Jess frowned and smiled, confused by how she was feeling and how she was reacting. "Okay, I actually need to know what you're thinking about this because..." He grimaced. "I don't... _do_ these sorts of things. I'm not really a flower-bearing, or boom-box holding kinda guy so I kinda just wanna skip this whole thing and kiss you..."

There was a cruel silence as Rory fought back tears. "...Rory?"

She didn't say anything. She just took her time thinking... _What have I done? I have to tell him... But what would he say? I can't have him hate me... And it's Jess... What do I do? What would Molly Ringwald do...? _Rory's mind was so unbelievably tangled in thought that she couldn't think about what to do in that single moment. So she didn't think. She just went off...

Instinct.

Rory kissed him; she hopped off the car, pulled him by the waist and brought his beautiful crooked mouth to hers, just like the first time they kissed. And Jess was equally as stunned as the first time they kissed.

Rory parted. "Oh, my God..." She whispered, still wrapped in Jess's arms. Jess cringed. "You're not gonna ask me not to say anything and run away again, are you?" He only joked partially.

Rory smiled and looked at him with be wide blue eyes. "No."

"Then what?" He asked, frowning cooly but was secretly freaking out.

She smiled again, genuinely and tiredly. "I'm just really glad I threw that snowball at you."


	22. I love, no, like, no hate you Kirk

Wow... I love all the power I hold... It's excellent. I could kill off a character and you would all be so devastated but you would keep reading... the is excellent...

(Relax, I'm not gonna kill of a character... Except maybe Max, because his butt-chin bugs me...)

Chapter 22

"Dammit, I'm late," Jess muttered while walking not-so-swiftly from down the stairs to behind the counter of Luke's diner. Jess looked up at his surroundings, thinking he was muttering to Luke. He wasn't.

Luke wasn't even there – and though it would be _fascinating _to know where he was instead of running his business, Jess just raised a brow and returned to attaching his leather cuffed watch to his wrist. "...And apparently I'm talking to myself... Great," he mumbled sarcastically, "...I'm this generation's Mr Orange."

Jess cleared his early-morning throat and started pouring coffee. He removed the lid for a donut and neglected to put it back – just like the old days. "My fist day and I'm late..." He growled at himself, assuming no one was listening.

"You know it's rude to be late," Kirk interrupted. "Especially on the first day."

"Shut up, Kirk," Jess said with a glance. Kirk looked at him with his usual blank and slightly psychopathic expression.

"And Andrew appreciates punctuality."

Jess glared at him as he readjusted his tie. "Geez, Kirk, stop."

"If it were me, I would be there early."

Jess gently closed fists knocked down on the counter and glared directly at Kirk. "What's wrong, Kirk?"

"My problem?" He asked, the same creepy expression plastered onto his face.

"Yes," he said, his head tilted to the side, irritation in his voice.

Kirk sighed. "Oh, nothing." Jess bowed his head and turned back to his coffee. "...I'm just following through with protocol of taunting the enemy."

"What?" Jess looked through squinted, sneering eyes.

"I said 'I'm just—"

Jess raised a hand. "No, I heard what you said, Kirk."

"But you looked confused..."

Jess breathed heavily through gritted teeth. "How am _I _your enemy?"

Kirk sat up straight, trying his best to look tough. "Andrew hired you. I was up for the same position."

Jess rolled his eyes. "Kirk, you have had _every_ other job in town."

"I know, but I wanted this one," Kirk practically whined, then sat up straight again.

Jess cocked his head, looking all intense and threatening. "Why?"

"Because..."

"Because why?"

"Because I've never worked with books before and that... may turn out to be my calling," he said – but based on the look on his face, it seemed he was making up his sentence as he went.

Jess paused. He stared at him, opened his mouth to say something, closed it again, stared at him a little more then walked off.

"It should be me, you know!" Kirk called out after Jess as he made his way to the door. "And mark my words, you will pay!"

Jess, with the door open and his hand wrapped around the handle, turned and stared back at him for a second that said both 'are you serious' and 'Oh, Kirk... get a hobby.'

Then he walked out leaving Kirk alone with his mind to build up a storm.


	23. I love your adorable nervousness

Chapter 23

"No, the doors actually need to fit into the door frames..." Lorelai said, the phone plastered to her ear. "Yes, Tom, I am aware that I am not a contractor – but look damn good with a hammer," she tried to joke, though her pleasing grin went away as Tom the contractor replied in his usual demeanor. "Look, if the doors don't fit now, then I'm okay with you taking your time to get them resized, or whatever the term may be – I'm no Bob," she joked with a feeble laugh, "No, like Bob the Builder – uh, never mind," she said waving a hand in the air as dismissal, regardless of the fact that she was in her kitchen at home and that he was at the Dragonfly. "So when will the doors be ready...? May 5th? But that's one day before the grand opening!" She brought her flat palm down to her leg. "Cuttin' it kinda close, don't ya think?" Lorelai sighed. "Okay, Tom... Thanks... Buh-bye."

Lorelai sighed and hung up the phone. She dropped her head into her hands and groaned.

"Mom, have you seen my cellphone?" Rory asked as she swiftly entered from the living room.

Lorelai looked up and frowned at her daughter. "Well don't you look all fancy and pretty."

Rory pouted, looking over her shoulder at her mother. "Opposed to my usual ugly duckling self?"

"No," Lorelai said with an admiring grin. "Just a little more pretty than your usual bedazzling self."

"Hm." Rory turned back to the table which her laptop was on, downloading CD's.

Lorelai poked her tongue out behind her daughter's back then took a seat next to the standing Rory. "_What_ is with you losing everything lately, by the way?"

Rory frowned at her mother, then looked back down at her computer. "Have you seen it, or not?"

Lorelai nodded her head. "No," she said with a grin.

Rory shrugged, clearly not very interested in her phone. She started tapping her fingers nervously against the table and Lorelai noticed.

She narrowed her gaze and leaned her head away. "Wait a minute..."

Rory didn't respond, knowing Lorelai would begin her speech before she would have the chance.

Lorelai raised a judgemental brow. "Is Jess coming over...?"

"Uh... No?" Rory lied, trying to maintain her innocence.

"Rory!" Lorelai groaned as her body went stiff as a board.

"What?" Rory asked, turning around to face her, standing up straight.

"Why'd you have to tell me that?!" Lorelai grimaced like a four-year-old.

Rory frowned at her, confused. "What, would you rather I lie to you?"

"Yes!" Lorelai jabbed a finger in the space between them. "No – I take that back."

Rory stared at her, more confused. "So... I should tell you...?"

"Uh... Yes?" Lorelai said with a smile, then rolled her eyes. She sat down and opened up a bottle of water.

"Mom."

"Sorry, it's just... weird."

"What's weird?" Rory asked with a laugh.

Lorelai said nothing, just stared.

"Oh, come on," Rory said, glaring. "I thought you and Jess were getting along!"

Lorelai sighed in a very melodramatic way. "Yeah, well, the Nazis got along with the Jews at one point too..."

Rory took the time to stop and glare. "Mom. You can't seriously be comparing Jess to a Nazi."

Lorelai's lips went thin, pretending to contemplate the statement.

"Mom!"

"What? I was kidding!" She grinned cheekily until she saw how her nervous daughter's glare didn't disappear. "Wow, you're really not in a kidding mood, right now, are you?"

"Really? What was your first clue?" Rory practically squeaked. Her peaches and cream complexion began blushing red – partially from anger, but mostly from nervousness.

"Well, you look fantastic," Lorelai said with a kind grin.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Can you please refrain from the sarcasm?"

Lorelai gasped, "I was not being sarcastic!"

"Then shall we wait for the second sign of the apocalypse?" Rory asked sarcastically, brow raised, looking stiff as a board.

Lorelai's nose scrunched up. "You're mean."

"Hm." Rory shrugged before turning back to her computer, tapping nervously again.

Then there was a knock on the door.

Jess tapped nervously on the wheel of his crummy excuse of a car. He shrugged his shoulders, trying to get comfortable.

He had changed his shirt four times; showered twice; and hadn't been able to read a thing all day. Jess settled for a plain red t-shirt with a long sleeved white sweater underneath. He tugged nervously at the neck of his clothes. Suddenly he was very well-aware of how much gel he had managed to put in his hair. Great – she can't go anywhere near his hair, now... It would be like washing your hands in vat of oil...

After that nervous moment, he thought about Rory and how she was doing right now. For a second, he prayed that she was as nervous as he was, then he realised she must be. It was Rory, for God's sake! She may be confident when it comes to arguing Plato verses Aristotle, but when it came to relationships, she was a naive fourth-grader – if that.

Jess looked in the car mirror above him to look at his hair. Then, when he realised what he was doing, turned it away, glared ahead and muttered "Geez" under his breath. As Rory's house approached he found the corners of his mouth curling into a smile.

When Jess parked in the driveway, behind both Rory and Lorelai's car, he sat – postponing the entering of Lorelai Gilmore's house as much as possible. Eventually, when he was aware of how pathetic and ridiculous he was being, got out of the car, looking sexy (and generally angry) in his casual shirt, blue jeans and vans. He twirled the key ring around his finger while taking deep breaths.

Jess considered knocking on her window instead of the front door, but decided to be a man, and knock. Plus... things were going sort of okayish with him and Lorelai for once...

"Geez, one more cliche with a side of apple pie and I'll be the all-American boy..." He muttered in a deep voice under his breath as he reached the top step of the porch.

Jess slowed his walk down almost to the state of complete stillness as the vision of the door came bigger into view.

He curled his hand into a fist and brought it up to the door, hesitated for what seemed like hours, then gained the courage to knock, gathering up enough strength to hide the nervousness he was feeling. And he knew that once Rory would open the door and that he would see those beautiful blue eyes, perfect skin and warm smile that he would feel better – or he would feel nothing out of complete happiness and shock.

He waited, fiddling with his sleeves for Rory to open the door and smile at him, one of the only people who would.


	24. I love your adorable nervousness more

Chapter 24

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Jess waited for Rory to open the door with that genuinely caring smile of hers. And the mere thought of it made the corners of his mouth curl into one – of course, it wouldn't be Jess if it wasn't a smirk.

Then the door opened with Jess expecting to be met by Rory's bright blue eyes; peaches and cream complexion; plum, pink lips and beautiful sugar brown hair—

Oh.

Jess's smile faltered when Lorelai's narrowed, glaring eyes met his, instead of Rory's beautiful ones.

"Jess," Lorelai said with a single eyebrow raise.

"Lorelai," Jess said, breathing heavily through his nose with a stern look across his face.

"Hm." Lorelai raised her chin, turned around and walked off quickly and swiftly.

Jess bowed his head, accepting her cold shoulder and let out a breath he was very aware he was holding in. "Round one..." He muttered, then cautiously stepped into her house. Jess stopped when he entered, turning his body back and forth from the door to the kitchen, not knowing exactly what to do.

Jess was saved by Rory's quick enter to where he was, contemplating the huge door debacle. "Hey," she greeted him with a wide smile, then frowned. "...What are you doing?"

Jess stared at her. "I don't know what to do," he whispered.

Rory laughed. "Well, you move the left foot first, then the right; creating sort of a—"

"Yes, thank you, Sherlock," Jess said with a glare. Rory smiled and he sighed. "I meant about the door."

"The door?" Rory asked with a raised brow, glancing at the subject in mind.

"Yes. The door."

"...What about the door?" Rory asked, trying really hard not to laugh.

Jess looked at her with what seemed like fear. "I don't remember the rules," he hissed.

Rory grinned. "The rules...? What rules?"

"The ones your mother laid out for me."

Rory scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Of course she did," Rory growled, crossing her arms over her chest and pouted.

Jess smirked, "Yeah, well I can't say I blame her..."

Rory grinned at him again. "You mean after you crashed my car, bailed on me – twice and practically flipped my mother off her first day here, and multiple times after that?" Jess glared at her. "Yeah, it's a wonder she didn't kiss you on the forehead and announce you part of the family," Rory said with a cheeky smirk.

Jess gritted his teeth. "Geez..."

"So what are the rules?" Rory asked, putting her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

"I think... I'm allowed in your room and the kitchen, and that's it."

Rory pondered this. "But what if you need to pee."

"Huh?"  
"Aren't you allowed in the bathroom?"

Jess frowned. "Well, I doubt your mother will like me any more if I start urinating in her yard."

Rory dismissed that with a wave of her hand. "It's not like the yard could get any worse – well, actually... the mailbox is okay..."

Jess frowned. "It's broken—"

"I mean it's nice to look at."

"The paint's chipped."

"I know. It gives it a kinda vintagey look to it."

"That's a positive spin on things..." Jess muttered.

Rory smirked. "Then maybe I should go work for Bush."

"Maybe," he said with an arched brow and a sarcastic smile.

The two of them were finally comfortable as they shared what truly was a comfortable silence. Uma and John would be proud. (Watch Pulp Fiction – it's epic.) Rory smiled even wider. "So we gonna go, or do you wanna stay here and do a Mrs. Robinson thing with my mother?"

"Dear God, I hope not," Lorelai's deepened voice interrupted as she walked past them through to the lounge without so much as a glance.

Rory and Jess stared and waited for her to be out of view. "Ok, come on," Jess said, grabbing Rory by the waist and pulling her out the door. "What are you doing?" Rory asked, stunned.

The door closed behind them which is when Jess pulled her in for a kiss. _That's what I was doing_, Jess thought proudly as his tongue lingered in her mouth.

Jess pulled away. "Hey."

"Hey."

Jess pulled her by the waist again into another kiss, but Rory pulled away.

"No," she stated.

"Huh?"

"Stop."

"Stop what?" He asked through squinted eyes.

"Kissing."

"Rory—"

"Sit."

"Huh?" He repeated, still with the same stupid, yet really, really pretty look on his face.

"Sit."

Jess said nothing, just stared at her with his brow stitched together.

"Sit." Rory repeated.

Jess took his time to look at their surroundings. "..Sit _where_?"

"There," she ordered cutely but with a stern face, pointing at the porch railing, where it's sturdiness was in question.

Jess looked at her quizzically, but sat down.

"Okay, Jess I know you love me, so if you really _do_ mean it, then you will be okay with us... taking things slow."

"Rory—"

"No, I talk while you do what you do best which is being _even less_ than monosyllabic." Rory paused to see if he would respond, which he didn't like a good little boy. "Now, last time I wanted to take things slow was because of Dean and how I didn't want to flaunt it. And this time it's different... Sort of... This time it's because I want us to work out and – and I think if we took things slow, this relationship could really work. And I want it to work, but this means we have to go slow, which I know is not what you want! – But you'll just have to deal with that, whether you like it or not! So deal!"

Jess looked at her blankly while a flustered Rory Gilmore pushed her perfectly straightened (and re-straightened at least 20 times that night,) hair behind her ears.

And Jess just stared at her, almost indifferently.

"...Say something..."

Jess cocked his head to the side with a lowered brow. "Should I be putting a tongue-depressor in your mouth right about now?"

"Stop it," Rory said blushing, like he had complimented you. "Jess, are you going to be okay with this?"

There was a cruel silence.

"Jess?"

One half of his mouth quirked into a charming smile. "Come on," he said, standing and holding his arm out.

Rory smiled like a love-struct teenager and let Jess drape his arm over her shoulders, holding her close.


	25. What a shock, I love you

Chapter 25

The moment Jess entered the Gilmore house, it was awkward. The moment he officially picked Rory up for their date, it was awkward. But the moment Jess wrapped a loving arm around Rory's shoulders , it wasn't awkward. So the two of them figured that things would stop being awkward from there on out.

Nope.

Things returned to being awkward the minute they got in the car.

"So..." Jess said, staring wide eyed ahead.

"So." Rory said. She glanced over at him. "I'm sorry, but this is just weird."

Jess couldn't help glancing nervously over at her. "So going out with me is awkward? Well, that should make for a great relationship..."

Rory smirked. "No, I mean _this _is awkward."

"Ah..." Jess said.

The 'this' that Rory was referring to was the fact that when Jess walked Rory over to his car, he opened what seemed like the wrong door to her. It was because of Lorelai and Jess's (,though he refuses to admit,) fear of Lorelai's disapproval that Jess made Rory drive his car to his destination that she wasn't fully aware of.

"I mean, seriously, the likeliness of you crashing a car_ twice_ is highly unlikely."

"Very comforting." Jess sighed, glancing over at her before returning to look at the road ahead. He tapped his nervous fingers against the window.

Rory grinned then looked at Jess sympathetically. "I'm sorry about my mom, by the way."

Jess smiled sadly. "No, it's ok..."

"Really?"

"Yeah.

"Cool."

Awkward. Awkward. Awkward. Awkward. Awkward!

"How 'bout some music?" Jess suggested after the sadly painful silence.

"Okay!" Rory said a little too loudly, excited for him to speak first.

Rory extended a slender arm over Jess to the glove department. Jess frowned, leaning away from her out of instinct. "What are you doing?!"

"Getting out your music – you still keep it in here, don't you?" Rory asked innocently, keeping her eyes on the road – sorta.

Jess grinned. "Yeah, I still keep it in here..."

Rory turned and smiled. Then Jess shoved her hand away.

"Uh, hey!"

"Look, if _you_ get us into an accident, your mother will still kill me and _if_ I am going to die, I can assure you; it will _not_ be in _Stars Hollow_!" He said, then looked a little pale with Rory laughing at his adorableness and responsibleness and nervousness.

"Wow, this is something I have never seen before...?"

"What is?" Jess said, a nervous glare attached to his face.

"You! You have _never_ looked so nervous _and_ adorable before..." Jess glared at her. "..._Except_ for the time I borrowed your Led Zeppelin CD without telling you and you thought you lost it."

Jess's lips parted and his eyes narrowed with anger. "What? – I just found it a week later categorised in the wrong genre."

"Or so I had you believe..." Rory said with a mischievous smile.

Jess turned his glare fully on her. 'Upset' was an understatement. "I hated myself for a week after that incident," he growled.

"I know," Rory said, the smile still there. "Let it go."

"I ended up going through my entire CD collection just to make sure everything else was in the right genre!"

"Let it go..." Rory said, grinning.

"I refused to listen to Led Zeppelin for months out of guilt after that!"

"You have got to live and let liv—wait, months?"

"Yes," Jess said seriously.

"Really?"

"Yes." Jess said even more seriously.

"Well," Rory said, shrugging. "It's not like you were missing out on much..."

"Excuse me?" Jess sneered. He turned his body fully to face her.

Rory glanced at him innocently, then looked back at the road. "Led Zeppelin's not that great, you know."

Jess just stared at her darkly, with flaming anger.

Rory noticed. "Well, come on!" Rory shrugged. "I mean, they're great—"

"Great enough to steal their album—"

"_But_ it's not like they're better than, say, AC/DC..."

Jess scoffed. "They're not even in the same genre – let alone the same league!"

Rory sneered. "Please, just because one's considered _classic_ rock, it makes them a different genre..." Rory rolled her eyes and Jess continued his glare.

"Ignorance." Jess said, momentarily pointing at her.

Rory laughed. "Fine," she surrendered. "Then I guess you'll be choosing the music?"

"Gladly," Jess muttered, still glaring, then turned to his glove compartment full of CD's. Rory remained silent as she waited for him to choose between the albums he was flipping through. "Uh... Ash... The Dandy Warhols... Sex Pistols... AC/DC—" He glared at her. "—The Foo Fighters... The White Stripes—"

"Just pick one!" Rory interrupted impatiently.

Jess didn't look up; just smirked to himself and picked one. He opened up the album and shoved the CD into the player. Rory glanced uneasily back and forth from him to the road with a furrowed brow. "Wait, what are you putting in?"

"Patience, Gilmore."

"No, it might suck."

Jess dropped his hands and glared up ahead. "I thought girls were supposed to love surprises."

"Well, _clearly_ you didn't read Jane Magazine growing up."

Jess bowed his hair and glared at her for a moment. "Yeah, I was more of a Vogue Girl..." He mumbled sarcastically – Rory hoped.

She grinned and turned back to the road, so she didn't see the subtle smile Jess gave her. It was just like the old days.

He fiddled with the ancient piece of technology, then a song played.

Rory sneered, rolled her eyes and flexed her jaw. "No!"

Jess, looking ahead, grinned.

"Oh, not this band – I _hate_ Coldplay."

Jess's grin turned into a taunting smirk as he continued to stare ahead.

Rory shook her head and turned back to the road. "I'm disappointed in you, Jess."

"Please – you like Dido."

"So?" Rory shouted, her eyes practically burning a hole through the windscreen. Jess just mockingly laughed at her. "Hey – Dido can belt it out," Rory defended, "...Sometimes..."

"Yeah, alongside REO Speedwagon," he mocked, still grinning.

Rory couldn't help but laugh. "Well, he is more hair than actual talent," she agreed.

"Yes. And Dido is just as bad, but with more suicidal subtext..."

Rory grinned. "_I will go down with this ship_," she started singing.

"Stop," Jess sneered.

"..._And I won't put my hands up, and surrender..."_

"Rory."

"_There will be no white flags above my door_," she sang, making a Dido song sound even worse.

"Rory!"

"..._I'm in love..._"

Jess glared at her, then glared ahead at the road.

"..._And I always will be..._"

Then he grinned.


	26. I love Richard Grieco over Johnny Depp

Sorry that my recent have been really late but it was because I was caught doing a Tyler Durden sketch.

Chapter 26

"Mom," Rory called out, closing the front door behind her.

Lorelai's voice came from inside the lounge saying "In here!", so Rory went in. Her mother sat on the couch with her feet up, reading Fight Club. Rory plopped down next to her.

"So..." Lorelai said, still looking down at the pages in the book. "How was the fine wine and dining?"

Rory smiled, shrugging one shoulder. "We didn't really make it to the dinner part – actually, we never even left the car..."

"No!" Lorelai dropped the book onto her lap and clapped her hands over her ears. "I don't wanna hear this!"

Rory leaned forward and pulled her hands away. "Stop it, mom, it's nothing dirty."

"Oh."

Rory tilted her head. "We just... never got to the restaurant..."

Lorelai, squinting sceptically, asked "Then what happened?"

Rory stretched out an arm and filled her hand with doritos. "Well, it started off really awkward and his monosyllabic thing didn't help," Rory rolled her eyes. "But then he started playing Coldplay and—"

"Ugh. Gag me."

"That's what I said," Rory grinned and Lorelai gave her a small smile. Rory waved her hand at the silence. "Anyways, we started arguing over that—"

"Arguing?" Lorelai speculated. "On a date? How romantic."

"No, but it was fun arguing... Like... Bonnie and Clyde kind of arguing."

Lorelai's mouth twitched into a grin. "Hopefully with less murders."

Rory brushed her off. "So anyways, then we just kept talking, and because I was driving around in circles..."

"Huh."

"Yeah, and we didn't leave the car. Instead we just drove around Stars Hollow arguing about books and music and stuff."

"Really?" Lorelai smiled, a brow raised so high she provoked wrinkles.

"Yeah," Rory said, thin lipped and nodding along slowly. "... And I gotta say – Stars Hollow is _not that_ interesting."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah..."

The two of them sat in silence for a second until Lorelai spoke up. "So what do you wanna watch?"

Rory smiled brightly at her mother, then looked over at the new stack of dvd's on the coffee table. She leaned over and started rummaging through them. She frowned as she did so. "Uhm... mom?"

"Yes, dear?" She asked out of her character.

"These are all really depressing."

"They are not."

Rory glanced sceptically at her. "Titanic... Schindler's List... Sophie's Choice – mom, what's with the theme? It's like Sylvia Plath picked these out..."

"Hm," Lorelai said, chewing on the end of a red vine. Rory sighed, got up, and crouched down by the TV set where yet another pile laid. She stared behind at her mother. "Can we just watch 21 Jump Street? I'm kinda jonesing for Grieco."

"Wow!" Lorelai declared, sitting up, hands spread. "Are you saying you wanna watch the beloved Jump Street to watch Richard Grieco."

"Yes..." Rory said slowly and cautiously, bowing her head as she did so.

"As in... over over Johnny Depp?"

Rory scrunched her nose up. "He doesn't really do anything for me."

Lorelai, opened mouthed with shock, scoffed. "But – (another scoff) – that's the whole reason 21 Jump Street was invented!"

Rory frowned. "No... It really wasn't..." Rory said before setting up season three. Lorelai glared at her. "What happened to you?"

Rory looked at her blankly. "...What do you mean?"

Lorelai fake-sniffed. "Your favourite character used to be the innocent janitor with glasses that hopped around everywhere, and now..." She sighed. "What happened to the little girl in you?"

Rory's eyes stared up in thought. "Hm." She looked at Lorelai. "I think it died when Miss Patty gave me and the other ballerina's the sex talk."

Lorelai squinted. "Yeah... six does seem little young..."

Rory smiled half heartedly at the memory of her sitting in a fluffy pink tu-tu while Miss Patty talked of husband number 2, blowing puffs of smoke into the air. Of course, three of the ballerina's had to be picked up early after bursting into tears.

Rory grunted, getting up (because she was just _that_ unfit), and plopped down next to her mother.

Then the two of them sat and watched the classic, and a tad fascist, 21 Jump Street.


	27. I love -- wait, what?

Chapter 27

"I'm going to the store," Jess growled, ironically with no intentional aggression. He began zipping up his leather jacket to protect himself from the winter cold.

Luke glanced at him and then turned back to taking Kirk's order. "Okay. Don't forget toothpaste. We're out."

"Okay." Jess turned away and walked out the door.

Kirk looked up. "Oh, so I see he's willing to spare time shopping for the diner when he's not doing his 'job'," Kirk said bitterly.

Luke frowned down at Kirk, then walked away without bothering to take his order.

Jess spent as little time in Dose's market as he could, seeing there was the fact that Taylor Dose was there. He hadn't been to any recent town meetings – not unintentionally – and wasn't sure what approach the bitter old crone would take. Jess had it down between knives and pitchforks, horses with white hoods, or tar and feathers. Regardless, Jess was resistant to finding out.

"Lettuce... mustard... bread... and toothpaste..." He muttered to himself, gathering up all the items. He did a double-take close to the counter then headed for the toothpaste. He stared down at the crumpled up list in his hands as he walked in his usual quick speed – but looked up when he almost bumped into someone worse than Taylor Dose.

Dean.

The big moose, standing there holding up a box of tampons, looked over at the emo boy in the with the over-gelled hair and leather jacket. Then when he realised who it was, turned his indifferent look into a glare.

Jess stopped, then glanced up at him then at the toothpaste section Dean was standing near, then back at him. "...Excuse me," he muttered. He took some quick, light steps near him and chose the first toothpaste his fingers met. Dean didn't say anything, just continued to glare.

Jess hesitated, shifting foot to foot, while subconsciously leaning away from him at thirty degree angle. But he turned and walked away, only making it to the end of the isle, before turning back around.

He gestured a hand towards Dean. "Hey, uh..." He began. Dean turned back around and glared at him again, coming up with a retort in his mind in preparation for his next witty insult.

Jess gave him a weak smile. "...Congratulations on getting married."

Dean frowned, completely surprised.

Jess gave him another weak smile, turned and walked away towards the counter.

Huh.


	28. I love that I've got gas!

Chapter 28

"...And then what? She just... left him up there?"

"It would appear so..." Rory said with a sigh as the two walked down the street, their high heels clicking and their pace quickening with the promise of Luke's donuts.

She scoffed. "But... He killed someone for her! Where's her sense of loyalty?"

"Probably with whoever she had children with."

Lorelai whipped her head around to face Rory as she opened the door. "She had children?"

Rory laughed at her. "She was telling the entire story to her granddaughter!"

Lorelai rolled her eyes and scoffed as the two of the stood in the door's path. "They could have been adopted!"

"Get outta the doorway," Luke grumped.

Rory stared over at him, and she raised a hand. "Luke, please, we're trying to have a serious conversation here."

"Yeah? About what?" He asked, not caring even a little, as he poured another stranger coffee.

"Edward Scissorhands," Lorelai said.

"Who's that?"

Their two heads whipped around to glare at the clueless man. "Who. Is. That?"

Lorelai looked at Rory. "'Who is that?' he says."

"So I heard," Rory said with a mysterious brow raised.

"He should be shot," Lorelai jokingly scowled.

"Dragged through the streets!"

"Lobotomised!"

Rory grabbed Lorelai's shoulders. "No need – he must already be!"

Lorelai raised her chin. "Yes, he must if he does not know of our beloved Edward."

"And not just any Edward!"

"_The _Edward," Lorelai declared.

"Edward—"

"Edward Scissorhands, yeah, I get it – now are you gonna sit down, or what?" Luke grumped.

Lorelai and Rory grinned proudly at each other. "We certainly are entertaining, Mack."

"Indubitably, Tosh." Rory replied with a bob of the head. Lorelai turned her daughter around by the shoulders and led her towards the table by the window.

"So..." Lorelai began, sitting down. "What are your plans for tonight?"

Rory looked at her mother skeptically. "Well, I was thinking about just hanging out at home – maybe watch a movie."

"Hm."

"What?" Rory asked, a mischievous grin upon her face.

"Nothing."

Rory bowed her head and picked up a menu.

"It's just—"

Rory sighed, dropping the menu and looked up.

Lorelai smiled. "I'm going to be staying at Jason's tonight, but I don't want any funny business while I'm gone."

Rory found it in herself to grin. "Aw, mom, it'll be fine. Jess is busy anyways – says he's moving his stuff out of his apartment in New York."

Lorelai raised her brow. "Really?"

Rory dropped her purse on the floor next to her. "Yeah."

"So I guess this whole 'new change' thing is really permanent."

Rory hesitated before answering, running the words 'new change' through her mind."Yeah... I guess."

Lorelai nodded along. "So while he's doing that you'll be watching movies."

"Yep."

Luke came over. "Coffee?" he asked as he poured them drinks.

"Uh... sure," Lorelai said, though her response was not ignored. "Luke."

"Mm?"

She leaned forward on crossed arms. "Is everything okay?"

"Whaddaya mean?" He grouched, staring down at the cup he was pouring.

Lorelai looked away. "Never mind..."

Luke left them to drink and talk, going back to taking people's orders and glaring at them all.

Rory took a sip. "So what are you and Jason gonna be doing?"

Lorelai grinned almost evilly. "Well... He _claims_ to have made some 'last-minute' reservation at some sort of restaurant that serves a lot of ritzy people, but..."

"Something tells you he's got bigger plans?" Rory suggested, finishing off her sentence, which was confirmed by another wry smile of Lorelai Gilmore's.

"So you guys have been good?" Rory asked, hopeful. She loved seeing her mother happy.

"Yes. Everything's perfect," she lied.

"Really? Everything?" Rory clarified.

Lorelai glanced down at the table, enable to look her daughter in the eye. "Yes. Everything's fine."

Yeah... That's if you categorise $30,000 in debt as being 'fine'.

"Okay," Rory said, though she sounded completely unsure. But was willing to allow her mother to lie to her.

Then Rory's phone started ringing. She fished the buzzing phone out of her little orange purse and flipped open the top. "Hello?"

"Rory, it's Dean—"

"I'm sorry, you have the wrong number," Rory said and hung up, a smile plastered on her face.

Yeah. Everything's fine.

Two hours of them eating breakfast on a Thursday morning with more arguments over Edward Scissorhands, and Lorelai left to get to work. Rory's plan was to 'casually' hang around, so she could bump into Jess, and to finish off some last-minute homework. But he never came down, and she then forgot her original plan to see Jess because the homework then consumed her.

Luke had refilled her coffee several times as she battled through an article on Yale's lacrosse game and an essay on man. Kind of a broad topic to conqueror when all you have to console you is really bad peach pie.

"Rory!" An enthusiastic voice came through to her, and she looked up. Then she grinned like a child again when she realised who it was. "Lane!" Rory shouted and stood up to hug her best friend.

"How are you?" Lane asked, sitting down across from her.

Rory smiled. "I'm good – school's good; me and my mom are good; and me and—" She stopped herself. Rory forced the smile back on her face when she remembered how Lane felt about Jess. She always hated him and that would never change. Damn.

Rory looked back at Lane. "But how are you? – You're looking particularly bouncy and happy today."

"Well," Lane began and couldn't control her grin. "I was gonna call you and say 'Hey – I've got gas', but I knew that would be followed by a severe amount of mocking, so I thought I just come and say it in person."

Rory frowned. "That you've got gas?"

"No," Lane said, "That I've moved into my own place!"

"That's great!" Rory shouted gleefully, earning a glare from Luke. Rory smiled over at him with a bashful smile, then turned back to Lane who was still grinning. "But how are you able to afford it?"

Lane, still smiling, said, "Well, I'm sharing it with Zach and Brian – and I know that's gross and a little unhygienic, but it's worth it!" Lane squeaked with excitement.

Rory grinned. "Yeah, that's – that's something..." She said with a raised brow, and a flexing hand.

"I should go," Lane said with a warm, contagious smile. She stood, the seat beneath her scraping against the floor. Before she left, she turned around in her fluffy suede jacket and said, "I know it's weird, but who cares? I've got gas!"

"You've got gas!"


	29. I know you love Lorelai

Chapter 29

Luke carelessly dropped yet another cardboard box on top of the pile that had been formed on Jess's temporary half of the apartment. They seemed to overflow the place and Luke wondered if the reason he was living in such a disgusting pit before, was because he was spending all his money on books instead of rent.

"Geez, could you be a little more careful?" Jess snapped, walking over to the box he just dropped while holding yet another.

Luke frowned over his shoulder. "Relax," he said, "I merely placed one unnecessary pile of books, on yet another unnecessary pile of books that happens to be next to – surprise, surprise – yet another pile of books."

Jess glared over at his uncle. "Actually the box you dropped was full of CD's."

Luke sighed while Jess put down the last of his stuff on the table.

"Well," Luke grunted. "That's the last of it." He readjusted his baseball cap and shoved his hands deep into his front pockets.

"Guess so," he muttered and mimicked Luke's pose, shoving his own hands down into his black jeans.

"Need any help unpacking?" Luke offered.

He smiled weakly over at his uncle. "Nah. You've already helped enough."

"Okay," Luke said, letting go of a deep breath that he didn't know he was holding in.

"Besides," Jess continued to mutter. "It's not like I'll be staying long enough to even unpack."

Luke looked over blankly at his misfit nephew. "Have you come any further in finding a place?"

Jess resisted a snort of derision. "Please – the only apartments available are on the fruitiest of street names. It's all so... Little House On The Prairie," he said slapping a hand tiredly against his leg.

"Just call me Charles Ingalls."

Jess grinned at his Uncle's attempt at humor, he even managed a laugh.

"Well... You know if you need any help, or anything, just let me know..."

Jess looked over at his uncle. "You really would do anything to help me, wouldn't you?"

Luke looked over at him, into his dark, dark eyes.

"You always help the people you love..." Jess said.

Luke nodded. "I love you, Jess," he said with a shrug.

Jess lowered his head, tapping his thumb on the back of the chair. "Luke... There's something I have to tell you."

Luke didn't say anything. He just walked over to the door and closed it gently, then turned to face him, but remained on the other side of the room. "Okay, wha'd ya do?"

Jess sneered at his uncle, almost offended. "Nothin'."

"Then...?" He asked, extending his neck for affect.

"It's... It's about Lorelai."

Luke's entire body tensed, and he looked at him intently and somewhat urgently. "What about her?"

Jess squinted his eyes in discomfort. "She didn't want me to say anything."

He frowned. "Then maybe you shouldn't."

Jess bobbed his head slowly. "I shouldn't." There was a silence. "But if you were me..." He said with a tired smile.

"Alright, should I be sitting for this?" Luke asked, shifting his feet nervously. His shoes clunked against the wooden floor with every minor movement. Neither Jess nor Luke could have looked more uncomfortable, and seeing they both had monosyllabic tendencies, it made everything all the more awkward.

"Take a seat." Jess said as he pulled out a chair for him.


	30. I love rummaging through storage

Chapter 30

It took Rory longer than she'd expected to get ready for her Grandmother's Friday night dinner. She knew that she had been taking a long time, not because she was aware of her surroundings, but because her mother wouldn't shut the hell up.

"Come on already!"

"I'm still getting ready," Rory shouted back from in her bedroom with a closed door. But it was weird; usually a door (locked, or not) would never get in her way, and yet...

She heard her mother groan. "How many times do we have to have this conversation?!"

Rory rolled her eyes as she added on a touch of mascara to bring out the blue. "Whenever you're unnaturally excited to go to the grandparent's dinner – wait. Why are you so excited this time?"

There was the longest of all pauses. "...No reason."

Rory mimicked her mother's groan. "What did you do?"

"Nothing."

Rory rolled her eyes, put down the lip gloss, and walked out of the room. She rushed down the hall, pulling on her coat. "What did you do—?" Rory stopped herself short, her jaw dropped and she stared ahead at her mother. "Oh... No..."

Lorelai smiled smugly as she stood proudly in the middle of the living room with her hands placed on her hips.

"Mom," Rory gritted her teeth with horror.

Lorelai's smile faltered and she pouted. "What?"

"You _cannot_ wear _that!_"

Lorelai looked down at her t-shirt, tugging at the ends of it. Then she looked up and grinned, a twinkle of evil in her eye. "Really? 'Cos it looks great," she said with a smirk.

Rory's eyes narrowed. "Mom. You really expect me to let you walk out of the house wearing a shirt with a rhinestone penis on it?"

Lorelai grinned proudly again, and flattened out her rhinestone penis shirt with her hands. Then, without another word, walked past her mortified daughter, grabbed her coat and walked out the door.

Rory raised a shocked brow. "Mom?" She turned around swiftly in her blue dress and matching heels and followed her. "Mom, no!"

"Come on," Lorelai said with her chin raised. "We're going to be late."

"Please don't do this!" Rory begged as her mother persisted in locking up the front door. Rory grabbed her by the arm. "I'll give you twenty bucks," she bargained.

"Nope."

"Thirty."

"Nope."

"Three hundred!"

Lorelai turned around and grabbed her by the arms. "Rory, there is not enough money in the _world_ to stop me from wearing this shirt," she said, then grinned like the little minx she was.

"Where did you even get it?" Rory asked with an unintentional sneer – or at least a squinting of the eyes.

Lorelai let go of her daughter, and stood up straight. "I found it. In storage. The real question is: _why_ didn't I think to look through storage earlier?"

Rory looked at her mother quizzically. "Be-e-cause we... never... look through storage?" She suggested. "I mean, it's sort of our rule. Remember?" Rory said slowly, like her mother was a complete idiot. Then she smiled simply. "We made it after we cleaned out the garage for Lane's band, and – and I hugged that thing..."

"What? Hug-a-Canada?" She teased with a grin.

Rory sighed. "Okay... Let's just go..." She sighed again, giving up on a meaningless argument. Especially since the wrath of Emily Gilmore would rain upon her.


End file.
